Rose Tyler Saxon
by cheri1
Summary: Master/Rose, Ten/Rose. AU Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords. The Master goes back in time after stealing the Doctor's TARDIS and takes Rose as his wife after learning about her relationship with the Doctor. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is an AU version of Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords with Rose taking Lucy Saxon's place.

Chapter One

The Master snickered as he listened to the Doctor pounding on the door of his TARDIS pleading for him to open it up so they can talk.

"Sorry, no time to talk, got things to do and less time to do them in," the Master said as he set the controls. "I just woke up from being a stupid ape and I need to make up for lost time."

He gasped when the controls beside him suddenly jammed up, sending sparks into the air.

"Damn it, Doctor, you won't stop me!" he yelled.

"Please! I want to talk!" the Doctor pleaded through the door.

"Yeah, yeah, you always wanna talk, ya old windbag," the Master muttered.

He tried the controls and giggled insanely when the rotor started and the Doctor yelled at him through the door to stop.

"Gotta go, darling, have fun with the kids! Ta ta!" the Master yelled.

The Doctor's angry yells faded as the TARDIS vanished and flew into the vortex. The Master tried to the coordinates and let out an angry yell when he realized the coordinates had been locked by the Doctor. He realized he could only travel between the year 100 trillion and 2005 to 2007 London. The Master thought for a moment.

"Access files on the Doctor," he said to the TARDIS. "Give me recent information on his activities."

He bent over and watched the monitor. The more he watched the more interested he became in the human child called Rose. He suddenly realized after a half hour of watching her interaction with the Doctor inside the TARDIS that they loved each other. With this new knowledge, he began to formulate a plan. He had no doubts that his foe would find a way to escape from the future. After centuries of battling him, he knew that he could find a way to travel back in time without his TARDIS if he needed to. So he needed to be ready for him. He smirked knowing he had a way to torture his old nemesis and possibly bring him to his knees. He knew the Rose child was now trapped in another universe but if he was able to go back far enough in 2005, he might be able to meet Rose before the Doctor did and make her his own. He set the coordinates as far back as they could go and raced towards London.

XOXOXOXOXO

(2007…)

The Doctor fought to recover his equilibrium after he, Jack and Martha used Jack's vortex manipulator to return from the future. He laid his hand against the wall and steadied himself while Jack shook his head.

"Ugh! That vortex manipulator is rough," Martha said.

"Now you know why I travel in a TARDIS," the Doctor said as he took his hand off the wall.

"At least it got us back to the present day," Jack said, looking around. "Now all we have to do is find the Master. I have a feeling that'll take forever and a day."

"No, it won't," the Doctor said, looking around. "He's here…somewhere."

"But how are we going to find him?" Martha said. "That voice in the TARDIS, that wasn't the professor. Does he have an assistant or something?"

"No, he regenerated," the Doctor said as the three of them walked off.

"What's that mean?"

Jack explained regeneration to Martha while the Doctor looked around him. He knew he locked the TARDIS controls so the Master couldn't flee across time and space. He knew he was here but unfortunately he didn't get a look at his face. But he would recognize him the moment he saw him. Time Lords had that ability.

While he was looking around, his attention was drawn to a familiar voice rising above the London crowd. He looked at Jack and Martha and noticed they'd also heard it. They ran off and followed the voice until they rounded a corner and saw a television set mounted on a pole. The television was broadcasting a report about the Prime Minister. He staggered back when he saw who the Prime Minister's wife was.

"Son of a bitch! It can't be!" Jack said.

"What? What's wrong?" Martha said, hating to be left out of the loop again.

"It can't be. She can't be his wife," the Doctor muttered as he stepped forward to the television.

He watched in horror as Rose Tyler, his Rose, kissed the Master and looked like she meant it.

"Doctor, why is she there…with him?" Jack said, pointing to the TV.

"Who? Who is that?" Martha said.

"It's Rose. She's the wife of the Master," the Doctor said, his hearts sinking as he watched Rose slide her hand into Saxon's hand while he kissed her cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"What do you mean, Rose is his wife?" Jack said. "If he went back and met Rose before you did, history should have changed, right? We wouldn't know her. So how come I still remember traveling with her."

"I don't know but whatever the Master did, I'm going to rescue Rose and stop him," the Doctor said.

Martha stood by the Doctor and watched the TV screen. So far she'd remained silent about the events unfolding around her but she had mixed feelings regarding Rose. On the one hand, she was upset that she was back; on the other hand, she was also upset that she was the wife of someone who was evil. She loved the Doctor and wanted him for herself but she didn't want Rose to get hurt, rather she wished she would just go away so she had a good chance of luring the Doctor away from her. Despite her feelings, she was ready to assist the Doctor in stopping the Master and rescuing Rose. She hated to see her friend so visibly upset and the last thing she wanted was him to be even more upset if Rose ended up dead.

"So what do we do?" she asked the Doctor. "Go to 10 Downing Street and fight him?"

"Not yet. We need a plan. I'm sure the Master is waiting for us to show up. He probably has a…plan," he trailed off when Rose kissed her husband again.

Martha glanced at the monitor and noticed Jack clenching his fists and gritting his teeth at the sight of Rose being so close to the Master. She wondered if he had feelings for her as well.

_Whatever Rose did to charm these men, I wish I could replicate it,_ she thought to herself.

"We need to find a place to hide and find out more information on Harold Saxon," the Doctor said.

"We can use my flat," Martha said. "I have a laptop in my room."

"Brilliant. Let's go then. If Rose is in danger, we don't have time to waste," the Doctor said before the three of them walked away.

XOXOXOXOXO

The Master breathed a sigh of relief as he walked back inside 10 Downing Street with his wife at his side. He hated the press conferences and keeping up appearances but for the moment it was still necessary to pretend to be Harold Saxon. But he knew that in a few days he would unveil his surprise on Planet Earth and then the Master would rule over all. He glanced at Rose who was by his side. She was wearing a red strapless dress that he had to admit looked gorgeous on her. The past couple of years had been spent conditioning her to become his wife and helpmate and pawn in his struggle against the Doctor. But in those two years, he had to admit he'd grown quite fond of the little ape. She was highly intelligent, unlike most of her kind and that was why he finally had to resort to a combination of hypnotism and drugs to keep her from disobeying him. He hated to do it but when he met her she was innocent and she had a good heart and he knew that she would eventually object to what he was doing unless he kept her under his influence. His greatest worry might be that she would betray him to the Doctor, even though he made sure he went far enough back that she hadn't met him yet. His adversary had just as much influence over people as he did, he had no doubt about that.

He smiled as he remembered first meeting the Rose child. He had learned where she lived from the TARDIS database and had followed her for about a week, learning her basic routine. She worked at Henricks as a shop girl. She rode the same bus to and fro work at about the same time each day and usually after work she'd stop at a chippie with a few friends for some dinner before she went home. He stayed in the shadows during this time, making sure she didn't see him. And then a week after he began shadowing her, he decided to make his move when she and two of her friends went to the chippie to eat.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

(Early 2005…)

"Blimey, I'm sick of Bossyface Mildred and her need to control everything," Rose said to her friends as she sat down at the table with an order of fish and chips and some tea. "I gonna punch the bitch in the jaw if she doesn't back down."

Her friends Sharon and Julie worked with her at Henrick's. Both of them were around Rose's age. Julie was African American with long black dreds hanging down around her long, thin face and Sharon was Irish with long red hair and freckles on her heart shaped face. Both women worked in the same department as Rose and knew who she was talking about.

"Don't let her get to you, Rose," Julie said, picking up a chip. "She treats all the underlings like that. She thinks she's Lord God Almighty or something."

"I don't care who she thinks she is. She's no better than we are," Rose said. "She hates me, I know she does and she's determined to make my life miserable. Today she whinged because I didn't fold a shirt to her liking. Stupid cow."

"I agree with Julie, ignore her," Sharon said. "She wants to make you angry so she can get you into trouble and get you sacked."

"Fat chance of that," Rose said with a snort as she lifted her cup of tea to her lips.

"Don't look now but someone's checking you out, Rose," Julie said, nodding at the counter near the window.

Rose glanced over her shoulder and saw a man standing near the counter ordering his meal. The man caught her eye, smiled and nodded. Rose snorted.

"Bit old for me," Rose said, turning her attention back to her friends.

"He's still watching ya," Sharon said.

Rose rolled her eyes as her friends snickered. She sipped her tea, sensing the man's eyes on her. She chatted with her friends and they laughed and joked while they ate. While they were doing that, the man passed by them and took the table behind them. Julie and Sharon glanced over their shoulders and shared a conspiratorial look while the man ate his food.

"Ooo, hottie," Julie teased Rose while Sharon sniggered.

"Puh-leeze, I can do better than that," Rose said softly.

"Sure about that, Miss Council Estate?" Sharon teased. "After all, it's either this guy or Jimmy."

"No, thanks, Jimmy can go to Hell as far as I'm concerned," Rose said.

"Talk to him, go on," Julie said softly. "Maybe he's a nice guy."

"He probably is but I'm saying he's a bit old for me," Rose said.

"Nah, probably got money or something," Julie said. "Maybe he can be your sugar daddy."

"Yeah, right," Rose said with another roll of her eyes.

Both women urged her to go talk to the man and Rose finally gave in so they'd leave her alone.

"But if he's some sort of creepy stalker, I'm giving him to you," she said, pointing to Julie and Sharon.

Julie and Sharon grinned when Rose got up and walked over to the man. The man looked up from his fish and chips and gave her a questioning look.

"Um…hi, my friends wanted me to say hello," Rose said sheepishly to him.

The man smiled warmly and Rose had to admit he was handsome. He gestured to the seat across from him.

"Would you like to sit down?" he said.

Rose nodded. She glanced at her friends while they watched her and she pulled out the chair from the table and sat down across from the man.

XOXOXOXOXO

"Mister Saxon, your cabinet meeting is in five minutes."

The Master was jolted from his thoughts when his secretary came up to him and spoke. He had arranged a meeting so he could kill everyone and take total control. Of course, he hadn't told anyone that, not even Rose. After all this time and he still didn't completely trust her. As he walked into his office, he asked Rose to sit as he walked over to the wine decanter on a table by the door. It was a crystal decanter with two crystal goblets. He poured two glasses and when he was sure Rose wasn't looking, pulled a small vial out of his pocket that was filled with a white powder. He poured half of the powder into Rose's glass, put the stopper back on the vial and put it back in his pocket. The powder was a strong mind control drug designed to keep the young girl under his control. Every once in awhile he sipped wine with Rose and administered the drug to her so she wouldn't turn against him. He picked up the goblets, carried them over to where Rose was sitting and handed the tampered wine to her. The powder was odorless and tasteless so Rose never suspected a thing as she sipped her wine.

"I hate meetings," he said to Rose. "Boring, completely boring."

"Yes, but it's necessary, Harry," Rose said with a shrug. "Gotta do what you have to when you're in charge of the government."

"Yes, well perhaps the government needs an overhaul. And perhaps I'm the one to do it."

Rose smiled at that.

"If anyone can do it, it's you, love," she said.

The Master smiled at that and bent over to kiss his wife on the lips. It took awhile for him to get used to kissing an ape and get past the feeling of disgust but now her lips tasted good and it became a pleasant experience for him. Despite all her faults, Rose was a good kisser. He finished off the rest of his wine, set his glass down on the table and ran his finger down Rose's cheek while he told her he was off to his cabinet meeting. Rose nodded and sipped her wine, watching as he walked towards the door and headed towards his meeting.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Master walked out the meeting room and chuckled to himself. One fell swoop and his underlings were history. He shoulda thought of that sooner. Now the cleanup was left to a few handpicked and trusted followers who would dispose of the bodies somewhere. He didn't care where they put them as long as they didn't resurface in the future.

He headed back to his office but was stopped on the way there by Ian, his assistant. He had been a part of the staff of the previous Prime Minister and the Master thought him weak-minded. He was right when it took little effort to brainwash him and turn him into his right hand man. Ian mainly gave him updates and information on press conferences and scheduled events now.

"Yes?" the Master said.

"Mister Saxon, there is a journalist here who wishes to speak with Mrs. Saxon," Ian said, reading off a clipboard.

The Master raised an eyebrow at that. Someone wanted to speak with Rose instead of him. A dozen red flags went off in his mind but he decided to let Rose go ahead and do it so he could see what this reporter wanted.

"Very well," the Master said. "Anything else?"

"Well, a report came in from your spies. The Doctor has been spotted going into Martha Jones's flat."

"Wow, that was fast. Even I didn't think he'd find a way back that quickly," the Master muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Ian said.

"Nothing," the Master said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just put plan B into action."

"The press conference?" Ian said.

"Yes. I want to speak to my people and to the Doctor in particular. Tell my staff to get my office ready."

"Yes, Sir."

After Ian told him he had no more reports, the Master dismissed him and walked on towards his office. Rose was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine. She looked up when he entered and closed the door.

"Bad news, darling. A journalist wants to meet with you."

"Me? Why?" Rose said, setting the magazine down beside her.

"Don't know. But I want you to find out. I'll be spying on her while you answer her questions."

"But I'm not very good at answering questions, Harry," Rose said.

"I know, I know, just do the best you can. I have a feeling this is some nosy person who needs to be disposed of."

Rose considered that for a moment.

"The Toclafane will do the disposing?" she said.

"Most likely," the Master said, walking over to his desk.

"Won't that make a mess?"

"Most likely," the Master said, sitting down in his chair.

The Master looked over when Rose said nothing further and noticed the worried expression on Rose's face.

"What is it?" he said.

"Harry, I'm worried this is going too far. The deaths, what if people find out?" Rose said.

"Just let me handle it. I have everything under control," the Master said.

He noticed the dubious look on her face and got up from his chair. He crossed over to her and embraced her.

"Just trust me, darling. I know what I'm doing," he said. "Now can you leave me alone? I want to make an announcement and people will be coming in here with the lighting and sound equipment and the cameras. I won't be long."

Rose nodded and kissed him. The Master watched her go and walked back to his desk when she left the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Martha opened the door to her flat and let everyone in. She observed the Doctor as he came inside the room and she could tell he was distracted. She sighed knowing exactly where his thoughts were at. She shut the door and retrieved her laptop while Jack looked around.

"Small but nice," he observed as he turned around in a circle. "Very cozy."

"I like it," Martha said, bringing the laptop to the Doctor. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Just worried, Martha. I'll be fine," the Doctor said. "I'll stop worrying when Rose is back in safe hands."

Martha shook the image of Rose being in the Doctor's hands and nodded as she patted his shoulder. She left him with the laptop while she went to make some tea. Jack followed her into the kitchen and sighed as he leaned against the counter and watched her.

"Makes no sense. Rose isn't evil. He musta done something to her," Jack said.

Martha gave a noncommittal shrug, not really knowing what to say to that.

"I know you don't know her but she's a wonderful person," Jack said. "Sweet and caring so being the wife of a bad guy is a bit of a shocker."

"Well, like you said, he must have done something to her," Martha said, bringing three mugs down out of the cabinet.

"Thing is, if the future is altered why aren't our memories of her changed?" Jack said. "I remember it all, traveling with her and if the Master got to her first, that should all be gone now but it isn't. That's the strangest thing."

"I think this whole thing is strange," Martha said.

Jack chuckled mirthlessly.

"Travel with the Doctor and strange things don't seem that strange anymore," he said.

"I agree with that," Martha said.

"Okay, found Saxon's website," the Doctor called out.

Jack left the room while Martha continued to make the tea. He could hear the Doctor pointing out things to Jack that he'd found on the website and her heart hurt as she wished she had met the Doctor earlier and had traveled with him and Jack. She envied the rapport they had. Even though the Doctor mentioned that he had been repulsed by Jack's immortality, he seemed to be at ease around him now. She wished the Doctor would show the same warmth to her that he showed to Jack and Rose. She tried so hard to please him but she still didn't feel like she was a part of the team. She doubted she would ever be accepted fully and that thought made her feel even more depressed. She could hear the Doctor and Jack speaking softly and then Jack came into the kitchen.

"Quick question," Jack said. "Do you remember hearing anything about Saxon's early life? His family or accomplishments, things like that."

Martha paused in thought. She turned and noticed the Doctor had joined Jack at the door.

"No, I don't think I ever heard anything like that," Martha said.

"I wanted to know because Saxon has a complete history of his life on the website," the Doctor said. "And knowing what we know, we know it's all fabricated. I just wanted to know what you knew about Saxon before you met me."

"I…"

Martha's brow furrowed. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know much about Saxon.

"What were his policies? What did he stand for?" the Doctor said when Martha didn't answer.

"I…don't know," Martha said. "I really don't know anything about him, to be honest."

"Did you vote for him though?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah, I did."

"Why?" the Doctor said.

Martha again thought hard about that.

"It seemed…like the right thing to do," she murmured.

"Yeah, I felt the same way. We all did at the Hub," Jack said. "We all voted for him."

"Without knowing anything about him or his policies," the Doctor said.

Jack and Martha looked at each other.

"He just seemed…nice," Martha said in a distant voice while her fingers started tapping out a beat on the countertop. "He seemed so trustworthy. I…trust him."

The Doctor looked at Jack and pointed to her tapping fingers while Martha stared off into space.

"I saw a few people making that same rhythm while we walked here. The Master's done something to everyone and I think it's the reason people voted for him."

Jack noticed Martha was still distant and he walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Martha jerked and her fingers stopped moving.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, mind was a million miles away," Martha said sheepishly.

"Martha, you and everyone else have been hypnotized into voting for him," the Doctor said. "The Master came back here and set up this whole life for himself and made everyone vote for him somehow. He's up to something and we have to stop him."

The Doctor walked back into the other room while Jack picked up one of the finished teas.

"I was hypnotized?" Martha said in shock.

"Don't feel bad, my friends and I were hypnotized too," Jack said, picking up another mug for the Doctor. "I'm betting Rose is the same way. Hypnotized into thinking she's his wife."

"But how? How did he hypnotize the entire UK?" Martha said.

"That's what we need to find out," Jack said as Martha took her mug and they went into the other room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The journalist was asking a lot of uncomfortable questions and she was running out of good answers. She knew now that Harry was right, this woman was a threat to both of them and needed to be silenced somehow.

"I've done a bit of research on you as well and you come from a lower middle class background. You lived in a council estate?"

Rose's nostrils flared.

"What's that got to do with anything?" she said angrily. "Are you implying I'm not good enough to be the wife of the Prime Minister?"

"I'm merely pointing out your modest background," the woman said. "I wanted to know where you came from since there isn't a lot of information on you either. How exactly did you meet Harold Saxon?"

"That's none of your business," Rose said coldly.

"My dear, have you ever asked your husband about his life, his accomplishments? We found background information on you but apart from the official website, no information for Harold Saxon exists. It's like he appeared out of blue one day. Where did he come from?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Rose said, her nervousness increasing.

"Come on, dear. Please help me out. Harold Saxon is not who he claims to be and I'm sure he rigged the election so everyone would vote for him. Surely you don't want to be the wife of a fraud, do you? Please tell me the truth."

Rose thoroughly hated the woman now and she was glad when she heard the door creak open. A smirk spread over his face when she saw the woman shut up and stare at the Master with a sheepish look.

"Mister Saxon, I'm sorry, I meant no harm, I was just interviewing Rose," she said.

"Oh but you're absolutely right, I am a fraud."

Rose tried to hide her laugher at the shocked look on the journalist's face.

"Oh really?" the woman said, smelling a major scoop. "Who are you then?"

"I'm the Master and you will obey me," the Master said, coming towards her. "Do not print anything you heard or you'll live to regret it."

"Is that a threat?" she said, crossing her arms. "I'm not going to be intimidated…Master!"

The Master and Rose shared a look and the Master sighed.

"You're right, it will be messy," he said.

"What are you on about?"

"I'm on about your death," the Master said menacingly. "If you won't shut up on your own, I'll have to shut you up by force. And this is how I'll do it."

There was a flash of light and a strange floating orb appeared above the Master's head.

"This is my friend, my friend doesn't like people who won't obey me," the Master said, pointing up. "He has ways of dealing with people like that. Come my dear, let's leave them alone for a moment."

"Wait! You can't do this!" the woman said, rising from her seat the same time as Rose.

"I can do what I like, I rule Britain now. Shame you won't be around much longer to be a part of my empire. Rose…"

The journalist tried to follow them as they walked to the door but the orb blocked her way. The Master and Rose hurried out the door as knives jutted out of the bottom of the orb. The Master quickly closed the door when the woman started screaming the moment the orb attacked her.

"That was too close for comfort, Harry," Rose said as they stood by the door. "That's what I mean when I say that people are beginning to discover the truth. What if we end up at the mercy of an angry mob?"

"Won't happen. Tomorrow night, the world will be under our thrall and no one will be able to stop us."

The Master hugged his wife tightly. He hadn't anticipated anyone breaking free of his mind control this early. He had hoped that by the time people began to wake up he would be conquering the apes. He understood his wife's fear that a mob would storm Downing Street and tear them limb from limb but he had the Toclafane, his enforcers, and he felt confident they could handle any threat. He opened the door and grimaced as he closed it again.

"Yup, we'll have to have someone clean up the mess," he said to his wife as they walked away.

XOXOXOXOXO

After Rose left him to relax and have another glass of wine, the Master went to check on the TARDIS. The TARDIS had been hidden on the Valiant, an airship of his design. He had a transmat installed in a supply cupboard so he could travel back and forth. He used the transmat and landed in the meeting room on board the Valiant. He nodded to two guards standing by the lift as he got into it. The guards started to follow him and he told them he needed no escort. They went back to guarding the room as the lift door closed.

When he came to the cupboard, he opened it. The Toclafane guarding the time ship moved forward towards the door but fell back as soon as the Master showed himself. They parted and let him pass. He unlocked the TARDIS and went inside. The cloister bell was sounding and the interior was red but he ignored all that as he looked at his masterpiece. The TARDIS was now a paradox machine. The Cloister Bell was her way of protesting what he'd done to her but he didn't care. She was now responsible for keeping the Toclafane firmly in the 21st century and she was also responsible for Rose. The Master had wanted his enemy to remember his beloved and be tormented by the thought of her being his wife and in order to do that, he had to preserve Rose's former timeline even while he changed it. He knew that without the paradox machine, the Doctor would forget Rose since he got to her first and technically she never traveled with him. When he first thought up his plan, he had debated on getting Rose after she met the Doctor and keeping her enslaved, making her watch while he tortured and killed the Doctor. But he decided that would be far too dangerous. This way, there was no change of Rose remembering her time with the Doctor and turning against him. As far as she knew, the Doctor would be just a random person when he finally caught him. And he would catch him. He had just finished taping a speech that was designed to trigger a voice activated bomb that he had planted on the back of Martha's TV. The bomb would trigger when he said the words medical student and explode. He doubted that would kill the Doctor and frankly he hoped he would escape so he could catch him later. He loved the cat and mouse game, toying with his prey before capture and death. He wanted to bring the Doctor here to the Valiant. He had a plan for him, a plan to make him old and feeble and then make him watch as he romanced his former companion. He figured he might even chain grandpa up in the bedroom and make him watch while he shagged Rose. His mind whirled with a thousand possibilities when he finally had the Doctor in his clutches. He stood for a few minutes more, staring at his creation before he turned and walked out of the TARDIS.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The Doctor gasped and turned to look at the fire spewing from the windows of Martha's flat. All of them had just barely escaped after finding a cartoonlike bomb attached to the back of Martha's TV. The Doctor cursed his enemy for nearly killing him and his friends and destroying Martha's home. He fought the image of strangling the Master out of his mind, he needed to be rational and think.

"Leo!"

The Doctor spun around and his mouth dropped open when he saw Martha speaking to her brother on her mobile.

"Martha, are you insane? He can track us that way!" the Doctor said.

"I need to speak to Leo. I won't be on the phone that long!" Martha said.

"But, we need to go, we have no time to chat on the phone!" the Doctor said.

"I'll do what I like!" Martha snarled at him.

The Doctor backed off, figuring Martha was upset and irrational after losing her house and nearly losing her life. He loved for his companions to be confident and independent but it had its downsides. Like now, when Martha wouldn't listen to him. He glanced at Jack who shrugged and they followed her while she walked off.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The Master led Rose to the meeting room. He had been watching the news channel and saw the report about the explosion. He didn't know if the Doctor was alive but a year ago he managed to gain control of a mobile phone company and rename it Archangel. The mobiles sold there helped hypnotize the public and thanks to the low prices of the phones most people had them now and he guessed Martha might have one too. He sat down and opened up the laptop laying on the table while Rose sat beside him. He searched the Archangel records for mobile phone sales and found Martha's number. He used the number to patch into his phone and he grinned as he listened to Martha warning his brother to run. He glanced at Rose and saw the bored look on her face.

"Why are we listening to this?" Rose said to him.

"Shhh, you'll find out why in a minute," the Master said.

He listened to Martha until she heard him warning Leo not to come home or contact any member of the family. Then he found his cue.

"Ooo, hide and seek but I'll find you, Martha Jones. Been a long time since we saw each other. Say, 100 trillion years?"

"Leave us alone, Saxon!" Martha yelled back at him.

The Master giggled while Rose let out a bored yawn.

"I'm here."

The giggling stopped abruptly and Rose frowned in confusion at the excited look on her husband's face. The Master whipped out his mobile and took the call that way.

"Doctor," he said in a hushed voice.

"Master."

"I like it when you use my name."

There was silence on the other end so the Master kept speaking.

"How are you, my old friend?" he said.

"Where's Rose?" the Doctor said angrily.

"Oh, she's here. Here, darling, make a new friend," the Master said, handing her the mobile.

Rose slowly took it from him. The Master gave her an encouraging nod when she stared at it. Rose put it to her ear.

"Hello?" she said.

"Rose," the Doctor said while the Master listened through the laptop.

"Yeah, who are you?" Rose said while the Master pinpointed the location of the mobile and patched into a nearby CCTV camera to see the Doctor's reaction.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Rose said. "How do you know my husband?"

"We're…old friends," the Doctor said.

The Master could now see him on the laptop. His back was slightly turned towards the camera. A few feet away, Jack and Martha stood and watched him.

"I don't recall Harry talking about you," Rose said.

The Master now regretted taking Rose before she met the Doctor. He thought it might be more fun to watch a hypnotize Rose recognize her lover and fight to free herself from his control. All he had now was a bored woman speaking to a man she had no interest in. Not as much fun, he had to admit.

"Rose, I need to speak to you alone. I need to talk to you, it's urgent."

"I don't even know you," Rose said. "For all I know, you're some crazed stalker wanting to kidnap me and Harry."

The Master chuckled when he saw the Doctor flinch at that.

"I mean you no harm," the Doctor said gently. "I just want to talk, nothing more."

"'Fraid that's out of the question, mate," the Master said. "My wife is faithful to me."

"Let her go! Whatever you did to her, undo it and return her to the past!" the Doctor snarled at him.

"I've done nothing to her. She fell in love with me," the Master said. "Unfortunately, you weren't around when I was so I got to her first. Sorry, old friend."

"Leave her alone. Let her go!"

"Oh? And what will you do in return for my letting her go?" the Master said.

"I'll surrender and come to you willingly if you let her go."

The Master grinned. Just what he'd wanted to hear. First Martha's parents had been rounded up while he'd been taping his announcement and now this. The Doctor at his mercy, tormented by the sight of Rose loving his rival instead of him.

"All of you surrender. You, the immortal freak and Miss Jones."

"No, let them go," the Doctor said.

"No deal. All of you come to me without a fight and I'll let Rose go."

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Rose said.

The Master ignored her while he watched the CCTV footage. The Doctor had lowered the mobile and was telling Jack and Martha what was going on. Five minutes later, the Doctor was back on the phone.

"We surrender," the Doctor said.

"Wonderful! Just what I like, people obeying me."

"Where do you want us to go?" the Doctor said.

"I meet the president of the United States tonight at Heathrow. He's coming to talk to the Toclafane. Did you see my speech on telly?"

"Yes. What are those things? There's no such thing as the Toclafane."

"Ah, ah, let me finish. Come to the runway and meet me there. I will escort you to the Valiant after speaking with the president, okay?"

"Let Rose go in the meantime."

"What?" the Master made static noises. "Can't hear you, old friend. Damn interference!"

"I said, let her go!"

"Eight o'clock at Heathrow. Be there and no tricks! Goodbye!"

"Wait!"

The Master ended the call and put the mobile back in his pocket.

"Harry, what's going on? Who is this Doctor?" Rose said.

"You'll find out, my dear. Until then, let's get some rest and prepare for tonight's events," he said, stroking her cheek.

Rose nodded. She got up and headed towards the door. The Master took one last look at the Doctor who was talking to his friends near the CCTV camera. He chuckled and closed the lid of the laptop.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"So, that's it, we're just giving up," Jack said as he and Martha followed the Doctor.]

"We surrender but that doesn't mean we go in without a plan," the Doctor said, looking over his shoulder.

"And do you have a plan?" Martha said.

"I do. I need to get a few spare parts but I have an idea for a device that might aid us in escaping."

Jack and Martha looked at each other and said nothing as they followed the Doctor. He found an ATM and the Doctor's companions watched in awe while he used his screwdriver to make a withdrawal.

"Damn, I need something like that," Martha said as the Doctor withdrew 1000 pounds from the machine.

He found an electronics shop and purchased two cheap laptops. Martha wondered why he needed two but figured he was buying one to replace the one she lost in the explosion. After they went outside, they boarded a bus and found a cheap hotel. The Doctor got a room for them and they went up to the 2nd floor.

"Wanna tell us what's going on?" Martha said when they went inside.

"Jack, can you get us something to eat?" the Doctor said, handing over the last of the money. "I need to get to work. Martha, you can go with him if you want. I need to concentrate for awhile."

Martha nodded and she followed Jack as he walked out of the room.

"Wonder what he's building?" Martha said to Jack as they walked to the lift.

"Dunno but I hope it helps us escape. This Master is a complete bastard. I'd like to put my fist through his face for what he did to Rose."

"What is so great about this Rose? Is she some sort of goddess?" Martha blurted out.

Jack stopped and Martha gave him a sheepish look while he studied her.

"You're in love with the Doctor, aren't you?" he finally said.

Martha looked at the floor and nodded.

"Well, you're not the only one. Unfortunately for both of us, the Doctor still loves Rose deeply so I'm afraid neither of us has much of a chance."

"I just wish he'd get over her sometimes. She's not coming back and this Rose doesn't even remember him."

"I know. But you weren't with them when she traveled with the Doctor. Their bond went deep. I saw that and I only traveled with them for a few months. He's not gonna forget her in a day, maybe not forever. If I were you, Martha, I'd find someone else because I don't think you have a chance here. Having said that, I know you're jealous of Rose but I'd love for you to reserve judgment until you meet her. The reason why the Doctor and I go on about her is because she's a warm, loving, generous person. She saw good in me back when I was a con man and a scoundrel and she became a surrogate sister to me when I traveled with her. I'm just as protective of her as the Doctor is because of that. I like you, Martha. You have a good heart. But I hate to see you hate someone you don't even know because you're harboring a childish and unrealistic fantasy about the Doctor forgetting Rose and loving you. I know you might not like to hear this but I'm telling you this as a friend."

"Thank you," Martha said, nodding. "I know the Doctor is out of reach for me but…he's the most remarkable man I've ever met."

"Don't I know it," Jack said. "And you're not alone. I also have a fantasy of my own but I know it probably won't come true. Doesn't hurt to dream sometimes though. Anyway, how about fish and chips for dinner?"

"Sounds good," Martha said.

She smiled when Jack put his arm around her and they continued walking towards the lift.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

By the time they got back to the hotel room, the Doctor was hard at work making the devices. Martha came up to the table he was sitting at. He'd taken apart one laptop and was using the parts along with some keys. The other laptop was open and she could see he was streaming BBC News, listening to the broadcast while he worked.

"Glad that money didn't come out of your account," Martha said, picking up a circuit from the table. "Seems a waste to disassemble a new laptop."

"Yes, but it was necessary. I needed the parts," the Doctor said, leaning back in his chair and taking off his glasses. "Fish and chips?" he said, sniffing the air.

"Yeah."

"Good, I'm hungry. I'm gonna take a break and eat," the Doctor said, getting up from the table. "Martha, what's the Archangel Network. The newsreader mentioned the Master held a press conference and talked about it."

"It's a mobile phone network. I have it. Lots of people do," Martha said, pulling her mobile out of her pocket.

The Doctor walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Jack handed him one of the fish and chips and he flipped open Martha's phone and studied it while he put a chip in his mouth. Jack and Martha sat down on the other bed and ate while the Doctor ate his meal and looked at Martha's phone.

"He also mentioned satellites while talking about Saxon," the Doctor finally said to Martha.

"Yeah, he put satellites in space as well. He singlehandedly built the Archangel Network from the ground up," Martha said while Jack nodded in agreement.

"Satellites…" the Doctor murmured. "I think I have an idea about how he was able to hypnotize everyone."

"How?" Martha said.

"You said most people use Archangel on their phones?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah, their calling plans have a lower price than the competition. Insanely low, actually," Martha said.

"Insanely low…so he made sure people would want to use his mobiles," the Doctor said, staring at the phone.

"You think he rigged the phones then?" Jack said.

"I do. The Master is a master hypnotist but even he could never hypnotize so many people, not without help. I think he used the satellites and the phones to hypnotize everyone into voting for him. Jack, what about you and your friends? Archangel as well?"

"Yes," Jack said.

They watched while he tapped out the four beat rhythm on his legs with his fingers.

"You did this when you were talking about voting for him," the Doctor said. "I think it's more than a nervous twitch, it's part of the signal. Wait…"

He used the screwdriver on the mobile and suddenly they heard a high pitched beeping. The beeping was the same four beat rhythm the Doctor had just tapped out. The Doctor nodded.

"This is it. This rhythm was the signal the hypnotized everyone into voting for Saxon."

"Mind control?" Martha said, her blood turning cold at the thought of being controlled by her phone.

"Yes but more subtle. Hidden in this phone in the background, it made it easier to creep into people's mind with no resistance. I told you he was a master hypnotist."

"But if he can do that, how can we stop him?" Martha said.

"Oh, he's not invincible. I've faced him many times before and beaten him again and again. There are ways to stop him."

"That key thing?" Martha said, pointing to the table.

"Well, no, that won't work on him. But it could help us escape his underlings."

"What is it?" Martha asked.

The Doctor ate and explained about the perception filter at the same time. After eating, Martha and Jack lay down on the beds and watched TV while the Doctor went back to his work.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

After resting up, the Doctor, Martha and Jack traveled to Heathrow Airport. They wore the perception filters to slip through security and get out on the runway. Martha was amazed when the filters did just what the Doctor said they'd do. No one even noticed them as they went through the airport. The Doctor made four of them, three for them and one for Rose so they could rescue her. Around 7:30 PM, they walked to the edge of the runway near Air Force One and waited. They could see several secret service agents guarding the jet but no one looked their way. The air was slightly chilly and they could smell the remnant of jet fuel in the air. The Doctor looked around, trying to find the Master and Rose. Finally at about ten minutes to eight, a limo pulled up near the jet. A young man got out of the driver's seat, walked back and opened the back door. The Master got out, wearing a black suit with a black bow tie. Then the Doctor's breath caught in his throat when Rose got out of the limo after him. She was wearing a black evening gown with a mink fur coat and stiletto heels. Her hair was pulled up into a bun and her face was made up. The Doctor admired her beauty as she followed her husband towards the stairs of Air Force One.

The Master looked around and just as the Doctor predicted saw them easily. He smirked and the Doctor's blood boiled when he stepped up to Rose and kissed her passionately.

"Can I go rip his penis off his body and make him eat it?" Jack said to the Doctor.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow as he seriously considered letting Jack do that for a few seconds.

"Um…no, stay here," he said.

"Damn," Jack said.

Rose looked their way but unlike her husband, she couldn't see them. The Doctor gazed on her longingly while she milled about, looking bored, while the secret service agents went into the jet to inform the president-elect that his guest was here.

Then Rose started walking towards them and the Doctor fingered the spare perception filter in his pocket. If he could just get her away from the Master and get her to safety…

The Master's attention was diverted when President Winters came down the stairs towards him. Rose stopped and looked around. The Doctor wondered if she was sensing them and that's why she was headed in their direction. His eyes darted over to the Master who was shaking Winter's hand and he cursed the fact that he could see through the filters. If only he was fooled by them, he could slip the filter around Rose and the three of them could escape into the darkness with her.

_Of course, I'd probably have to render her unconscious since she doesn't know me yet,_ he thought.

He cursed when the Master looked back at her and called for her to come meet the president. To his surprise, Rose turned, looked directly at them over her shoulder and walked back to the jet.

"She knows we're here," Jack said.

"Yes. Maybe she'll be curious enough to come back here," the Doctor said, watching while Rose walked over to Winters and shook his hand. She stepped back and the Master talked to Winters but every so often Rose looked back over her shoulder at them. The Doctor observed the Master who was arguing with Winters. He decided to chance it and removed his filter for a few seconds. Rose's eyes bulged when she saw him and the Doctor knew he looked like he just appeared out of thin air from her perspective. He put the filter back on but Rose knew he was there now and she stared at him for a moment before looking at her husband. The Doctor's hearts raced when she began to edge away from her distracted husband and head towards him. As she walked towards him, she kept looking back at the Master but his back was to her and he was so busy arguing with Winters that he took no notice of her. The Doctor walked forward, closing the distance before the Master knew what was happening.

Rose stopped in front of him and looked him over. The Doctor's hearts hurt when he saw no recognition in her eyes, just curiosity about him.

"Are you one of the people Harry was meeting tonight?" she said.

"Yes, I'm the Doctor. We spoke over the phone."

"Ah yes, I recognize your voice now. Where did you come from? You appeared out of nowhere."

"Special talent I have, teleportation," the Doctor said.

He paused waiting for her to say something but she stood and studied him. His hearts ached knowing that no matter what he did, this Rose wouldn't suddenly remember who he was. His only hope lay in trying to befriend her and make her see that the Master was evil.

"It's cold tonight," Rose said.

The Doctor nodded.

"I notice you're wearing a fur coat though."

"Yes, Harry got that for me. He's always buying me expensive gifts like this," Rose said.

The Doctor wondered if that was one of the ways "Harry" seduced Rose into being his wife. But he kept his thoughts to himself.

"I heard you speak to Harry. He wanted you to surrender to him. What for?"

"Because my friends and I are a threat to him."

"Why? What are you planning to do to him?" Rose said, narrowing her eyes.

"You might not believe this but he's not the benevolent man he pretends to be."

He looked into her eyes and saw her shift them. He smirked. He'd always been able to read Rose like a book.

"You already know that, don't you?" he said, his eyes boring into hers. "You've seen the evil he's committed."

"What if I have?" Rose said defiantly.

"You might not believe this but I know you, Rose, and you'd be objecting to any evil he did. He's done something to you so you'll go along with his evil schemes."

"You know me? How do you know me? We've just physically met each other."

"No, we've known each other for a long time, you just don't know it."

He noticed a flicker of fear in Rose's eyes and she stepped back.

"You're stalking us?" she said.

The Doctor snorted.

"No, your husband stalks me and now he's stalked you and made you his slave."

"I'm not a slave."

"Yes, you are, Rose. You just can't see it. He married you to torment me."

"What? You're daft. I married Harry because I love him."

She flinched when the Doctor's dark eyes bored into hers.

"Is that really why you married him?" he asked her.

Rose shifted uncomfortably under his piercing gaze. She was about to answer him when she heard the Master calling to her.

"Ah, I see you've met our guest," the Master said as he walked up to her side. "Guests, I should say," he added, looking over the Doctor's shoulder.

Jack and Martha looked at each other and took off the filters. Rose blinked in shock when she suddenly saw them. She looked to the Doctor for answers but the Doctor only gave her a tender smile. The Master smirked at that and put his arm around Rose's shoulder.

"This is the Doctor, darling, I'm sure he introduced himself and these are his friends, Jack and Martha. They're going to be staying with us on the Valiant. Now that I've finished with doofus over there, perhaps all of us can go? It's chilly and I want to get back to my warm bed…with my wife," he added, giving the Doctor a pointed look.

Rose frowned when she noticed the Doctor's jaw tighten and his fists clench at that. She didn't know who this man was but his statement about knowing her at some point in the future intrigued her. She made a note to talk to him at some point when Harry was busy doing something else.

"Now, follow me and no tricks or you'll be sorry," the Master said to his captives. "Come, darling, back to the limo."

Rose turned with him and glanced back over her shoulder at the Doctor. An angry sigh escaped the Doctor's nose as he and his companions followed the couple back to their limo.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

On the way back to 10 Downing Street, the Master and Rose sat across the way from the Doctor, Martha and Jack. The Master was getting a kick out of seeing the Doctor's pained expression as he stared at his arm around his lover.

"So…you did as I asked, very good," the Master finally said.

"Yes, but you didn't do as I asked. Let Rose go," the Doctor said.

"Why would I let her go? I'm married to her…legally, I might add," the Master bragged. "Where would she go at this time of night? You want me to just chuck her out into the street and drive off?"

"Okay, what is going on here?" Rose finally said. "He told me that he knows me even though we've only just met and that I'm a slave and now he's asking you to let me go."

"This man is called the Master, not Harry Saxon," the Doctor said. "He's not human, he's an alien and he belongs to a race called Time Lords that can travel through time. He went back in time and altered your future. You never met him, Rose, you met me and traveled with me through time and space."

Martha noticed the shocked look on Rose's face while the Master chuckled to himself. She could tell that Rose probably thought the Doctor was completely crazy after hearing all that and she couldn't blame her. If she was in her place and heard all that, she'd probably be calling the insane asylum too.

"And what about you, are you an alien as well?" Rose said to her.

"No, I'm an Earthling like you," Martha said.

"I'm not!" Jack said, raising his hand. "I know it sounds completely crazy, but the Doctor told you the truth. I traveled with you too. He's using you to get at the Doctor and me because we care about you deeply."

"And you expect me to believe this? You look human," Rose said.

"What about your husband? Is he a normal common or garden human?" the Doctor challenged.

He saw it again, that evasive look on her face. He knew she was lying about her husband being normal but for some reason she was defending him. He guessed it was part of the hypnotic conditioning.

_But my Rose seems to be fighting it. Good_, he thought as he studied her.

"So why are they here, Harry? What are you going to do with them?" Rose said to her husband.

"For now, they're our guests but I have a surprise for them tomorrow night. Actually, it goes along with the surprise we've been planning."

"What surprise is that?" the Doctor said.

"Ooooh, wouldn't you like to know," the Master cooed. "It's a surprise, honey. Just like everything else. And now that I have you here…"

The Doctor drew in a sharp breath when the Master suddenly jerked Rose's head to his and began snogging her fiercely. The Doctor caught Jack's shoulder and forced him to sit when he started to lunge at the Master. Martha looked at Rose and felt sorry for her when she noticed she seemed to be in a quandary about kissing the Master. She seemed to be resisting a bit while she snogged him and she wondered if there was a way to rescue her.

The Master finished kissing her and settled back with a contented sigh. He had shoved Rose's dress up to her crotch and she was fixing it, blushing while she did so. The Doctor was livid which gave the Master even more joy.

"Shouldn't have locked those coordinates, old friend. I might never have found her otherwise," he said smugly.

This time the Doctor lunged towards him and the Master backhanded him hard across the face, sending him back into the seat. Martha noticed Rose was stunned at the ferocity of the backhand but she didn't try to stop him either.

"Don't do anything funny or you'll live to regret it," the Master said, discreetly pointing to Rose so she wouldn't see it. "I can break your hearts oh so very easily, you know."

The Doctor clenched his jaw but stayed put while the Master folded his hands in his lap and gave him another gloating look.

"How is it that I can still remember Rose in my TARDIS if you've altered her past?" the Doctor said.

"Oh that? That's another thing I have to show you as soon as we get to the Valiant. My masterpiece, Doctor."

"Harry, is everything he's saying true? About me traveling with him and being an alien?"

The Master didn't answer her, just shrugged. Rose looked at the Doctor and he gave her another tender smile. Rose was completely confused. Everyone seemed to be talking in code around her and she didn't know who to believe. She could see the sincerity in the Doctor's eyes though and as crazy as it sounds, she believed him. She had seen the atrocities Harry had committed but she had dismissed them as being necessary since most of the people he'd killed wanted to harm them. It was a way of protecting themselves from terrorists.

"Are you a terrorist?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Me? No. He, on the other hand…" the Doctor said, pointing to the Master.

"Don't listen to him, he's completely nuts," the Master said to Rose. "He and his friends are out to get us. I found out what they were doing and made them surrender so they wouldn't hurt us."

"Yeah, right, that's a pack of lies," Martha said.

The Master gave her a pointed look.

"And that's the reason why I took her mother and father to the Valiant for questioning."

Martha's eyes bulged. Then she let out a howl of rage and lunged at the Master. She managed to slap him across the face before he grabbed hold of her and shoved her to the floor. The Doctor cried out when he savagely stomped her ribcage.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" the Doctor yelled at him.

The Master stopped and Martha lay on the floor groaning in pain as she held her side.

"You see, Rose? You see who the terrorist is?" the Doctor snarled at her as he bent over to help Martha.

Jack helped Martha sit up and then the Doctor helped her get back onto the seat. Martha leaned against the Doctor, holding her injured side. The Master smirked at that and then glanced at Rose who was now glaring at him.

"You saw what she did

You saw what she did! She attacked me first!" he said.

He knew when they got back to 10 Downing Street that he'd have to drug his wife again because he could tell the effects were beginning to wear off. The last thing he wanted was his wife changing sides and helping the Doctor.

The limo stopped at 10 Downing Street and the Master ordered Rose out of the limo. She got out and stood near it while the others climbed out. The Doctor caught her eye as he got out and he smiled warmly at her. Rose glanced at her husband who was still in the limo.

"You are telling the truth, right?" she said softly to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded quickly and Rose watched while guards came out of the building and took them inside. Rose waited till her husband got out before walking inside with him. The guards were just inside the door surrounding the Doctor, Jack and Martha. The Doctor again caught Rose's eye but Rose said nothing since her husband was right beside her. The Master directed them to go to the cupboard and he and Rose walked behind the guards while they led them away.

"Harry, what are you going to do with them?" Rose said softly.

"Imprison them on the Valiant until tomorrow night."

"And then?"

The Master grinned and said nothing. They walked to the cupboard and the Master unlocked the door. Everyone went inside and the Master directed the guards to take them to the transmat. They all got up onto the flat steel dias and the Master pulled out a remote control. He pressed a button and there was a flash of light. When the light faded they were on the Valiant.

"Take them to the cells, make them comfortable," the Master said to the guards. "Come along, my dear."

As Rose walked away with her husband, she caught the Doctor's eye one more time and she resolved to go and speak to him when she could. The Master led her to their bedroom and he poured some wine for them.

"Not right now, I'm not in the mood for wine," Rose said.

"Come and drink some with me, darling."

"Harry, I'm not in the mood," Rose said.

The Master's nostrils flared, he walked over to Rose and she backed up when she saw the cold look on his face.

"But I am in the mood," he said between clenched teeth. "You're my wife and you will obey me! Now drink…the…wine!"

Rose gulped and walked over to the glass of wine he'd prepared for her. The Master flinched. He hadn't put the powder in her drink yet but he couldn't stop her now that he'd commanded her to drink it. So he stood by and watched with barely contained anger as she gave him a defiant look and drank her wine.

"Happy now, Harry?" she said when she finished it.

"Very…dearest," Harry said, pasting a smile on his face.

"Good because I'm going to go into the living room and watch some telly, is that okay?"

The Master gritted his teeth inside his mouth at the flippant tone of Rose's voice. He resisted the urge to slap her and nodded tersely.

"Good, thank you. I'll see you later, Harry," she said.

Rose walked to the door and was about to open it.

"Rose!"

Rose froze with her hand on the doorknob.

"Leave them alone," he heard her husband say. "Don't go near our guests or you'll regret it!"

"Yes…Harry," Rose said with false cheerfulness before opening the door, going through and slamming it behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"95 bottles of beer on the wall, 95 bottles of beer…" Jack sang as he sat in his cell.

His cell was across a wide corridor from the Doctor and Martha's cell was beside Jack's. Each cell was made of concrete with steel bars on the front and a steel door built into the bars. Each cell had a simple camp bed and a steel toilet and sink. The Doctor glared at Jack as he sat on the camp bed.

"I think that'll do, Harkness," he said to Jack.

"Just being bored and awaiting our death," Jack said.

"In that case, I wouldn't worry since you'll come right back from the dead," the Doctor said dryly.

"What do we do now?" Martha said.

"Just put the perception filters away in your pockets. We'll find an opportunity to use them later," the Doctor said.

They nodded and everyone put their filter in their pocket. The Doctor lay back on his camp bed and folded his hands on his stomach while he stared up at the cement ceiling and tried to figure out a plan.

"Well, hello there."

The Doctor raised his head when he heard Jack and quickly sat up when he saw Rose standing outside his cell.

"He forbid me to come here but I must know more," Rose said to the Doctor. "What you said about knowing me. How do you know me?"

"You were my companion," the Doctor said, standing up and walking over to the steel bars. "You traveled with me for two years through time and space. He went back in time before I met you and altered your future. But somehow it didn't alter mine and Jack's memories of you. I still remember you being with me in my ship. But all of this is a lie. It's not your reality. He did this to you because he knew it would torment me."

Rose gazed into his eyes and sensed his sincerity.

"He has killed," she said as she gazed into his eyes. "He has these ball thing called Toclafane. They kill for him."

"Yes, I saw them when he made his announcement on the telly. I don't know what they are but they're not called Toclafane. How many people has he killed?"

"Three that I know of, a journalist and two people who worked for him. He might have killed more; I don't know everything he does."

"How did you meet him?" the Doctor said.

"At a chippie. I was with my friends."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Figures you'd be eating chips when you met him," he said.

"I thought he was a bit old at first but then I got to know him and I liked him. He was charming."

"Yes, he is, that's how he seduces people…before he brainwashes and hypnotizes them that is," the Doctor said. "But it seems his control over you is slipping. I think your mind is far more powerful than he thinks. He could put you under his control but not for long."

"I s'pose so. It's just that…there's something about ya, something I can't put my finger on but I feel like I can trust ya."

"Good because I won't hurt you and neither will they," the Doctor said, nodding his head at Jack and Martha. "I want to help you and everyone else. Do you know what he's planning to do with these…Toclafane?"

"Not sure. But something big is happening tomorrow night," Rose said. "The president of the United States is coming here to meet the Toclafane in person. Harry and him argued about it. The president is angry that Harry is trying to take control without the US."

"That sounds like him. The Master was never one for sharing," the Doctor said. "I have a feeling we're going to become a part of events now."

"Our deaths broadcast on television," Jack said.

"I wouldn't doubt it. The Master loves putting on a show and being all dramatic. What's more dramatic than us dying for a worldwide television audience."

"I don't want that," Rose said. "Your deaths."

The Doctor smiled tenderly and Rose felt herself smiling back. She liked this man. If he was telling the truth, she could see why she chose to travel with him. She suddenly realized she'd been with them for perhaps too long.

"I have to go. Harry doesn't know I'm here and he threatened to do something if he found out I disobeyed him."

"Go then. Don't get yourself in trouble," the Doctor said. "Just be careful, please."

Rose smiled and nodded. She hesitated for a moment and then reached for his hand through the bars. The Doctor beamed, took her hand and held it. She liked the feel of his hand and smiled shyly when he squeezed it. She took her hand away and bid everyone goodbye while she hurried away.

Martha watched her go and felt another stab of jealously when she saw the longing on the Doctor's face as he stood at the bars of his cell. Then he let out a wistful sigh and lay back down. Remembering Jack's words, she walked over to her camp bed and lay down on it. She put her hands on her chest and closed her eyes. Several minutes later, she drifted off to sleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Rose entered the guest bedroom, closed the door and sat down on the bed as she thought about what the Doctor told her.

"The last two years have been a lie?" she said to herself.

Normally she would have laughed scornfully at someone if they told her time travel was real but that's before she saw the Toclafane and what they could do. She didn't know where they came from but they definitely weren't from Earth. She thought for a moment and realized that for the first time in a long time she felt like her mind was clearer like a fog was lifting around her brain. She had always gone along with what Harry was doing but now she looked at everything in a new light and she realized that she had been making up excuses to justify cold blooded murder. She lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the Doctor. She realized she wanted to see him again but she dared not risk it. She took a big enough risk just going to see him the first time around. But something about him made her want to go to him. He seemed so trustworthy even though she barely knew him.

"I traveled with him through time and space," she murmured. "Must have been nice. Wish I could remember it."

She stared at the ceiling until her eyelids felt heavy and she closed them. She fell into a deep sleep for about three hours. Then she was jerked awake when she heard the bedroom door slam. She gasped and quickly sat up. The Master was standing by the door with the Doctor beside him. The Doctor was in the middle of some sort of glowing blue ball. Rose looked at him and then looked at her husband.

"What is this?" Rose said, pointing to the Doctor.

"I'm in the mood for love," the Master crooned as he walked towards her. "Simply because you're neeeear meeee!"

"Harry, what is this?" Rose said, looking at the Doctor in his glowing blue ball.

"This is what I believe is called fornication," the Master said. "I'm in the mood for love."

"What is he doing here?" Rose said, pointing to the Doctor.

"He's going to watch."

Rose looked at her husband with revulsion.

"What sort of sick idea is this?" she said to him.

"This is my idea and you'll obey it!" the Master growled at her.

"Leave her alone, Master!"

"See? Even the Doctor calls me Master," the Master said, coming towards her.

"No, I don't want to," Rose said, leaping up from the bed. "Leave us alone!"

"Us? You mean you and him?" the Master said, hooking his thumb back at the Doctor. "My, my, we've gotten chummy in such a short amount of time. Since you've done that, you really won't mind him watching."

Rose cried out and dodged him when he lunged at her. She tried to run to the Doctor and gasped when the blue ball repelled her the moment she ran into it.

"Force field, dearest!" the Master said, grabbing her from behind. "That's why the idiot hasn't lifted a finger to help you!"

"Leave her alone, Master! Please!" the Doctor yelled frantically.

The Doctor watched in horror as the Master hit Rose in the face so hard, she fell to the floor, dazed. He bent over and hit her two more times while the Doctor screamed at him to stop.

"I saw footage of him and you when I was in his TARDIS," the Master said as he knelt down beside Rose. "Let me show you what your future was really like!"

He put his fingers against her temples and images flooded Rose's mind. She saw herself in the Doctor's arm as he held her close, saw him kissing her and caressing her while they lay in bed together. Through the images flashing through her mind, she saw the Doctor in his prison and suddenly realized that he was telling the truth and the images in her mind were memories from another time. In her mind's eye, she could see the loving look the Doctor gave to her and suddenly longed to see him replicate the look now. She held her hand out to the Doctor in the prison, begging him to help her. The Master laughed as the Doctor ran to the side of his prison and beat on it, screaming at the Master to let him out.

"See what you could have had, darling. Savor those memories because after I let the Doctor watch your rape, I'm going to hypnotize you and put you back under my control."

The Master hit her hard, knocking her out. The Master laughed insanely and began taking her clothes off while the Doctor screamed and bellowed and cursed him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Jack sat in his cell fuming. First guards came to get the Doctor and then they came and got Martha. He was all alone now, thinking up ways to kill the Master for everything he's done. He stood up when the guards brought the Doctor back to his cell. The force field was down and they had an iron grip on his arms but he could tell his friend was demorialized and it made him even angrier.

"I hope you idiots know you're working for a psychopath!" he yelled at the guards as they locked the Doctor into his cell.

The guards ignored him and walked off while the Doctor slumped down on his camp bed.

"Martha's gone," Jack said.

The Doctor had been staring at the floor. He raised his head up and got up from the bed. He looked through the bars at the empty cell and Jack could see barely contained rage on his face.

"Where is she?" the Doctor growled.

"Don't know. They said they were taking her to see her family but who knows if that's true or not. For all I know they could be torturing her right now."

"Rose became aware of me," the Doctor said. "The Master got into her mind and showed her footage that my TARDIS had in her database. She realized we were telling her the truth but the Master knocked her out and fondled her in front of me before they led me back here. I'm pretty sure she's being hypnotized back into submission as we speak."

"Damn him!" Jack said, hitting the side of his cell with his fist. "Oooh, what I wouldn't give to have his neck in my hands right now."

"I'm sure he took those memories out of her mind," the Doctor said, walking around his cell. "However, that doesn't mean I can't put them back and make her remember me again."

"You have a plan?" Jack said, leaning back against his wall.

"Beginnings of one."

"Good. Because I'm itching to get back at the bastard."

The Doctor sat back down on his camp bed and Jack could see he was working out a plan. He felt comforted by that and by the fact that Rose was able to recognize that they were her friends. Although he was sure the Master made sure she wouldn't remember them now and his blood boiled when he thought about that. He watched while the Doctor pulled the perception filter out of his pocket and looked at it.

"Jack, do you still have your manipulator?" the Doctor asked softly.

Jack pulled up the sleeve of his coat and showed it to him. The Doctor nodded.

"Keep it hidden. Whatever the Master has planned tomorrow night, I think I can get everyone to turn against him."

"How?" Jack said.

"If I can get this perception filter around the Master's neck, everyone will see through his hypnosis. They'll go after him while we grab Rose and try to find my TARDIS. If we can't get to the TARDIS, we can use the manipulator to escape and plan something else."

Jack nodded. At least they had the semblance of a plan; he just hoped the Master wouldn't kill them before they put it into action. He thought for a moment and snapped his fingers.

"The sonic, we can use it on the locks," Jack said.

"Can't. The Master took it from me when he made me go and watch Rose."

"Damn," Jack said, sitting back down. "Well, can't we use the manipulator now?"

"I want to see what he's up to. If the US president's life is in danger, I want to be there to stop it," the Doctor said. "The Master likes a show; I don't think he'll do anything to us or to Rose, at least until tomorrow night. I have a feeling we'll be made examples of for the whole world to see."

"Lovely," Jack said, lying back on his camp bed. "Can't wait."

The Doctor was about to lay back on his bed when Jack suddenly shot up into a sitting position. The Doctor gave him a quizzical look.

"The Master got inside Rose's head, can you do that too?" he asked.

"Yes. That's why I'm hoping I can get her alone long enough to do what the Master did and show her memories of our time together. Why?"

"The TARDIS has a telepathic link with all of us, right? Can you have the same link…with Rose?"

"Well, I have a sort of link with her via the TARDIS; it's not that strong though because her human mind isn't as advanced as mine. But I can feel her mind if I really concentrate. The Master, on the other hand, I can feel him quite clearly."

"Is there a way you can strengthen the link with Rose so you can communicate with her telepathically?" Jack said.

"Dunno. Like I said, a human mind is a tricky thing. I could probably open portions of her mind so it would be easier for her to communicate telepathically. But that would take time and I'd probably be wading through everything the Master did to her in the process. I don't know if I'd have that kind of time now that the Master is keeping an eye on her."

"I'll find the time for you, old friend," Jack said as he lay back down on his bed.

He closed his eyes for awhile but after a half hour, he heard a struggle and the Doctor asking Martha if she was okay. His eyes snapped open and he sat up but the guards already passed his cell and he couldn't see Martha. He could tell from the anguished look on the Doctor's face that Martha hadn't been harmed. He seethed silently as the guards put Martha in her cell and walked away.

"Is she alright?" Jack asked as he got up.

"She's unconscious. She's been roughed up and her face is bloodied and bruised. Rassilon only knows what else the maniac did to her," the Doctor said, looking through his bars at Martha's cell.

"Think we'll survive until tomorrow night," Jack said dejectedly.

"Yes. The Master could kill us easily but he's just tormenting us at the moment. He wants us alive," the Doctor said, sitting back down on his bed.

"Lovely, I love the patient psychopaths," Jack said with a sigh as he lay back down on his bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The Doctor, Jack and Martha were left in their cells without food or water, except the water from their sinks. Martha lay on her bed, recovering from her injuries and Jack rested while the Doctor paced around his cell, trying to come up with several plans to try. He mulled over what Jack had said about trying to strengthen the TARDIS's telepathic link. Except he realized she didn't have the link since this was before she met him. He kept on forgetting that this Rose didn't know him and that irked him.

_Still…perhaps I could try to open a link between us,_ he thought as he walked around his cell_. Rose has a brilliant mind and I'm sure she could handle a telepathic link but without the TARDIS, it would take even more time to open a pathway and unless the Master was knocked out for several hours, I don't think I could do it. Damn it, where is Jackie in all this. Surely she had objections to her teenage daughter marrying an older man. Is Jackie even alive? Maybe the Master had her secretly killed. _

"Doctor…"

The Doctor stopped when Jack called to him.

"The guards are coming for us," Jack said.

The Doctor stopped pacing and stood by the door. He watched as Martha slowly rose from her bed and shuffled to her cell door.

"Are you feeling better?" the Doctor asked her.

"Not really but I'll live," Martha groaned as she reached her door.

There were about twenty guards, all armed with AK-47s. Three guards opened the doors while the others kept their guns trained on the prisoners. The three of them came out into the corridor and offered no resistance. The Doctor stood by Martha and Jack got on her other side, helping her to walk and guarding her while the guards surrounded them and escorted them down the hallway. The Doctor kept his hand on Martha's back while she walked slowly beside him. He felt guilt when he saw the pained look on her face with every step she took. They were led to a lift and made to stop. The door opened after a few moments and the Master emerged with Rose at his side. The Doctor looked at her and he seethed inwardly when he saw a blank look on her face and a dull look in her eyes. She gave no sign of recognition to any of them and the Master gave the Doctor a gloating look when he glowered at him.

The guards pushed them into the lift and four three got in followed by the Master and Rose. The Master gave instructions to the other guards to assemble in the conference room upstairs and the lift door closed.

"You won't get away with this, Master," Jack growled at him.

"Get away with what?" the Master said innocently. "Oh, you mean the surprise? Try and stop me, zombie boy!"

"Rose?" the Doctor said.

The Master snickered when Rose turned her attention towards him and gave no sign of recognition. The Master tickled her chin while she stared blankly at him.

"I took precautions tonight," the Master said to the Doctor. "Shame I had to but the wife was getting a bit too chummy with you."

"What about Jackie, her mother? What happened to her?" the Doctor said.

"That chavvy little cow? You mean why she didn't object to our union? Well, you see I gave the greedy harpy tons of money and that shut her right up. It's amazing how easily these apes can be brought into silence. Actually, she thinks her daughter did good, becoming the wife of the Prime Minister. Of course, she isn't going to object."

The Doctor glanced at Rose but she gave no reaction to anything the Master said.

_I'll save you, Rose, even if I have to lose this body to do it,_ he thought to himself.

The lift stopped and the doors opened. The Master instructed the guards to lead the captives to three chairs at the back while he and Rose walked up to two chairs at the front. The Doctor gazed at Rose longingly while he walked to the chairs. The three of them sat down and the guards leaned up against the wall behind them, their guns slightly pointed towards their backs. The Doctor stared at Rose. She was sitting beside the Master, eyes straight ahead. He wondered if the Master's influence was fading to the point he had to hypnotize Rose until she was nearly a zombie. He hoped so. He hoped his influence was wearing off and she was fighting for her mind with each breath she took.

I'll find a way to get her away from you, Master, I swear it, he thought as he stared at Rose's back.

Rose was wearing a bright red strapless dress and her hair had been curled and was hanging down her back. One thing the Doctor had to admit, she did look good as the wife of the Prime Minister, much better than jeans and hoodies.

His attention was diverted to President Winters when he entered the room. He watched while the president glared at the Master as he passed him but the Master seemed unperturbed and instead leaned back in his seat. Winters was directed to stand on the steps in front of them. The Doctor glanced around but apart from the guards there was nothing sinister about the room. Men and women filed into the room and took their seats; the Doctor guessed they were dignitaries from other countries. He glanced at the Master who now had his hand on the back of Rose's hair, stroking it. Rose was sitting up straight, completely stiff, and he guessed the blank expression was still on his face. If it wasn't for the guards, he would have rushed up and knocked the Master out cold.

He listened with half interest to Winter's speech about his being an ambassador for the aliens. Despite his love for Earthlings, he thought some of them were completely pompous and politicians were the worst when it came to pomposity. If there wasn't danger here he would be laughing his ass off at the ignorant sod.

Then the Toclafane appeared and he sat up straight in his seat. He eyed the orbs as they floated around Winter's head in a menacing way. Winters continued his pompous spiel, unaware of how much danger he was in. He wondered if he'd get a bullet in the back if he tried to warn the hapless human.

The Toclafane began asking for the Master and the clueless president took this as a sign that they wanted him to be master which would have earned him another derisive laugh from Doctor if he wasn't in extreme danger.

Then the Master jumped up and ran up to the front.

"Geez," Jack said when the Master began showboating and gloating over Winters. "Can this guy be any more vain?"

The Doctor glanced at Rose who hadn't moved and was still watching the stairs. The Master was sneering at the stunned Winters and wasn't looking at her. He reached into his pocket and fingered the perception filter. He looked at the Master and took it out of his pocket. He glanced at Jack when Jack noticed what he was doing.

"Let me do it," Jack whispered to the Doctor. "If they shook me, I'll come back from the dead. I'd rather die trying to get the filter around the Master's neck than just sit here with a gun at my back."

The Doctor passed the filter to Jack.

"Good luck, my friend," he whispered to Jack. "If you go for the Master, I"ll try to get Rose."

"Take this then," Jack whispered, taking off his manipulator and giving it to him. "Get Rose and Martha to safety while I distract Saxon."

The Doctor nodded and Jack looked at the Master. He tensed his muscles while the Doctor waited for him to make a move. He silently counted to three and then suddenly leapt up and bolted from his chair. Everyone turned and looked at Jack as he made a beeline for the Master. Then the Doctor leapt up and ran for Rose. He heard commotion behind him and turned to see Martha grabbing a chair and trying to hit the guards with it. The rest of the guests leapt up and were looking everywhere in confusion while the guards tried to stop Martha. The Master pulled out a screwdriver and shot Jack dead just as he reached the stairs. Rose had stood up and was trying to make her way to her husband through the panicked crowds but the Doctor reached her first.

"Harry!" Rose yelled as the Doctor grabbed her arm and tried to take her back to Martha.

"Martha, come here!" the Doctor yelled as he tried to get Rose to follow him.

Martha threw the chair at the guards and ran towards him. He gasped when one of the Toclafane aimed his laser at her, hitting a fleeing woman in the back and killing her. Rose was fighting him so he quickly picked her up and ran with her protesting and yelling at him to put her down.

Then the Master shot a laser beam at the Doctor's feet and he stopped short. He looked at the manipulator in his hand and threw it to Martha."

"Go! Use it and flee!" he yelled to her.

"Doctor!" Martha said.

"Just go!" the Doctor said as Rose tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

Martha flipped open the cover and hit the button. Everyone around her gasped when she vanished from view. Then the Doctor grunted when the Master slammed his hand into the back of his head. He fell with Rose to the floor and Rose wriggled away from him. The guards surrounded the Doctor and jerked him to his feet as more guards entered the room and surrounded Jack who was just beginning to wake up. Rose shook her head, dazed, as the Doctor tried to fight his way out of the guard's grip to get to her. The Master helped her to her feet and led her away from the Doctor. While this was going on, Winters was standing on the steps in shock while the Toclafane were guarding him.

"What's going on here, Saxon?" he said as the Master and Rose walked up to him.

"World domination, you git! Pity you won't live long enough to see it! Kill him!" he said to the Toclafane.

"No!" the Doctor yelled when three laser beams shot out of the bottom of the Toclafane and disintegrated him. The guards blocked the door and kept the terrified dignitaries in the room while the Master and Rose climbed the stairs to the top. He turned and sneered at the terrified humans while Rose stood beside him and passively watched.

"So…I suppose the charade has ended," the Master said to everyone. "I gathered you all here to witness more than just the introduction of a new species. I wanted you to witness the end of the world as you know it. But first, bring the Doctor over here."

The Doctor fought the guards as they forced him to the stairs. Jack tried to get past the guards surrounding him but one of them shoved his AK-47 in his face. Jack, realizing he might be more useful alive, stopped resisting. The Master walked over to a desk near the railings and reached down behind it. He picked up a silver case and slammed it down on top of the desk.

"I found this little trinket inside the TARDIS and thought it might be useful someday," he said to the Doctor. "And guess what? I was right! It will prove to be very useful now."

He opened the case. Inside was the Doctor's hand resting inside its jar. The Master showed the Doctor his screwdriver.

"I took a cue from you and made myself a screwdriver. Except this is laser, much better than sonic," he said. "But it does more than kill. You see, I took Professor Lazarus' technology and put it in here. Which means I can do what his machine does, change the age of anyone I choose. But…I need the genetic code of my victim and what do you know, I have it right here!" he said, patting the top of the jar. "I've decided Doctor that the only way you're gonna stay put is if I make you so feeble you'll barely be able to move. And guess what? This is still going out to all the world. So if you'll excuse me…"

He turned towards the camera and looked down at it.

"Humans. I know all of you are probably watching this in complete confusion now. Allow me to shine a little light on all this. You see, the Toclafane aren't the only aliens visiting Earth, this man is an alien as well. An evil being known as the Doctor. He tried to assassinate me and my wife but I stopped him."

The Doctor struggled when the camera turned towards him.

"He's lying," the Doctor said to the camera. "Saxon is an alien and he wants to take over the Earth. Don't listen to him!"

"Lies!" the Master said when the camera panned back to him. "He is a danger to this Earth but I, benevolent leader of the UK will take care of this alien scum. So…alien, let's see what you'd look like as a hundred year old man, eh?"

The guards backed up when the Master pointed the screwdriver at him. The Doctor glanced at Rose and for a moment he saw anguish in her eyes. Then the Master turned the screwdriver on and all thoughts of Rose left his mind as pain flooded in. He twisted and turned and jerked, vaguely hearing Jack's screams that mixed with his own as intense pain surged all over his body. He felt himself aging, felt himself growing feebler as he tried to run but the beam was somehow keeping him there, aging him more and more with each passing second.

Jack was in distress as he watched his friend aging inside the beam of the screwdriver. He looked at Rose and noticed the blank look was gone. She was standing beside her husband but he could see her eyes were filled with pain and sorrow while she watched.

_The Doctor might be right, the hypnotic programming is fading faster and faster the more he uses it on her,_ Jack thought_. Oh Rose, even though you never met the Doctor, I think deep down inside you still have a connection with him and maybe that's what's helping to break his conditioning. _

Finally the Master stopped and the Doctor fell to his knees, a feeble, old man. He panted and gasped as the pain of the transformation slowly faded.

"And now that that's sorted, Gramps, I will go back to what I was doing before, which is the destruction of the Earth. You see, Earthlings, you're about to die, starting with all of you," the Master said, pointing to the terrified dignitaries. "So let the chaos begin! Because here comes the drums!" he yelled as he ran over and flipped a switch on a panel.

The Doctor gritted his teeth when the guards suddenly opened fire behind him and Jack, slaughtering the dignitaries. The Master instructed the guards to bring the Doctor and Jack up to the flight deck. The Doctor offered no resistance as two guards forced the Doctor to his feet and brought him and Jack up the stairs. The Master made them stand at a large pane of glass that looked out at the sky and the Doctor watched in silent horror as billions of Toclafane descended on the Earth and the screams of the humans drifted back up to his ears.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

(One month later…)

Rose opened her eyes and sat up. She glanced back at her sleeping husband who was snoring softly before she stood up. All last night, the Master had insisted on having sex with her and when she protested he smacked her until she gave in. She had several bruises on her body from where he assaulted her including one on her cheek. She had her mind back now, for some reason Harry no longer bothered to hypnotize her but she realized she was a prisoner now, just like the others in the ship. The Doctor, Jack and Martha's family. There had been no sign of Martha since she vanished but her husband had done everything in his power to find her. In the meantime, he kept Martha's family as servants, Jack was tied up in the bowels of the ship and the Doctor was reduced to sleeping in a tent and eating from a dog bowl. The Earth had been laid to waste and the Toclafane acted as the Master's enforcers, making sure everyone submitted to him.

He stepped into the shower and stripped off her black silk nightgown and underpants. She turned on the water and tested it with her wrist. When it was the right temperature she stepped inside it. The hot water felt good but she turned it up until it was near scalding. She did that often because she felt like it rid herself of the stink of her husband's body as well as being punishment for her part in the destruction of Earth. Her body got used to the hot water and she used shampoo on her hair. As she lathered her hair, she heard the door open and she sighed when a hand reached around the plastic shower curtain and stroked her back. The Master's hand jerked when the hot water hit it and he turned the temperature down.

"You'll burn yourself," he said through the shower curtain.

"I want to burn myself. I want to die," Rose said as she turned and let the soap from the shampoo run down her back.

"Why, darling?"

"Because of what happened. I stood back and let it happen," Rose said, staring at the fiberglass floor of the shower while the soap ran down her back.

"That's because I hypnotized you," the Master said.

"You admit that?" Rose said, looking at his silhouette through the shower curtain.

"No use in lying now. I've tried to keep you hypnotized but yours is an exceptionally strong mind for an ape," the Master said. "The drugs wore off quickly too. You built up an immunity to them so I gave up."

"And now you just beat me into submission," Rose said bitterly.

"Well, you keep resisting. The wedding vows did mention obeying, at least on your part," the Master said.

"I hate you," Rose said as she stared at the floor.

"Doesn't matter, sweetie, till death do us part and all that," the Master said nonchalantly. "And if you try to resist, you will die."

Rose snorted.

"That threat doesn't scare me anymore," she said.

"Then you will suffer, along with the Doctor."

Rose raised her head. That was the other thing she hated, his constant abuse of the Doctor, torturing and tormenting him when he could barely defend himself. Now that she was free of the hypnotic conditioning, she realized how evil Harry Saxon really was. She flinched when the Master put his hand through the shower curtain and stroked her back.

"I hate abusing you," he said as he rubbed her back. "I want us to have a happy marriage as king and queen of the Earth. But in order to do that, you'll have to be the dutiful wife."

Rose said nothing as she stared at the floor. The Master stopped stroking her back and she breathed a sigh of relief when he left the room. She turned the temperature back up and put the hot water on her back, directly where the Master had touched her.

She spent forty five minutes in the shower before getting out. She dried off and put her nightgown and underpants back on. When she walked out of the room, her husband was gone and she breathed a sigh of relief. She put a black silk dressing gown on and tied it around her. Then she put on some matching black silk slippers and hurried out of the room. She hurried to the conference room, eager to see the Doctor. She entered the dimly lit room and went to the tent. She bent down when she reached it and looked inside. The Doctor was asleep, snoring softly as he lay on the straw the Master had put down for him. She crawled on her knees inside the tent until she was next to him. She reached out her hand to touch him and was shocked when his eyes snapped open. She drew her hand back while the Doctor gazed at her in silence.

"Your eyes are clear this morning," he said softly.

"Harry…the Master no longer bothers to hypnotize me. It doesn't last any longer."

She could see him looking at the bruise on her face with pain in his eyes and her heart went out to him.

"So now you're a prisoner just like the rest of us," he said.

Rose lowered her eyes to the floor and nodded.

"I don't care what he does to me now. I'm in Hell, have been in Hell since I married him. I just couldn't see it. And now I've taken you and everyone else down with me."

"You didn't do this, not a bit of it," the Doctor said.

"I stood back and let it happen."

The Doctor put his hand on her arm.

"The Master is a powerful hypnotist. He put you under his power so you couldn't resist. He did all this, not you. Please don't wish for death. You need to be strong so you can escape with us."

"There isn't much of a future now," Rose said. "The Earth is destroyed. What's there to live for?"

"There's always something to live for," the Doctor said gently. "And there is a way out of this if you trust me."

"I do. I don't know why but I do trust you. But how can you make this all better?" Rose said.

"I have a way, I promise. It'll take time though so you must trust me."

"I had a dream last night. I saw you and me in bed together, in each other's arms. It felt right, that dream, like it was meant to happen."

"Residual memory," the Doctor said. "The Master put those memories inside you. He took them out but he must have missed one and it came through as your dream last night."

"Is it real?" Rose said.

"It was, once. The Master changed your future. By this time you would have been traveling with me in my TARDIS but he stopped all that."

"He ruined everything," Rose said softly as her eyes turned back to the straw. "He ruined everyone's lives, including ours. I have no future now because of him and neither do you."

The Doctor chuckled softly and Rose looked at him.

"Ah, Rose, as long as our hearts keep beating, there is a future," he said.

Rose studied his face. Even though his face was ancient, his eyes were still brown and youthful and twinkled with life. Rose reached out her hand towards his face and hesitated just before touching his cheek. The Doctor took her hand and kissed the back of it gently before laying it against his cheek.

"You care for me?" Rose said softly.

"Very deeply."

"Why?"

"Because you cared for me when I felt as hopeless as you do now. You showed me love and I fell in love with you in return," he said as he held her hand to his cheek, pushed up the sleeve of her dressing gown and gently ran his fingers up and down her upper arm. "We became each other's world. That world we shared has been closed to you now because of the Master. He did this to cause me pain and it has, far more than the aging and beatings and humiliation. He took you before you met me and all you have left of our time together is one fleeting residual memory that he forget to take from your mind. Two years of happy times reduced to a single memory."

"Are you like him?" Rose asked.

"I am like him in that he and I are the same species. I'm not cruel like him and I would never harm you and make you suffer. These bruises you have disgust me. I would never do that to you."

"What he did when he put the memories in my mind, can you do that as well?"

"Yes."

"Will you…show me more?" Rose said.

"What about your husband? If he finds out you're here, he might punish you."

"I don't care. He punishes me if I don't do every little thing he wants. I no longer care about him. Please show me our life together?"

The Doctor patted the straw beside him and Rose lay down and turned to face him. The Doctor smoothed back her still damp air and put his fingertips against her temples. Rose closed her eyes and images flooded her mind. Images of her and the Doctor in his youth traveling together, having adventures and loving one another. Rose savored the images of the Doctor kissing and caressing her. The Doctor was tender and loving, not pushy and demanding like her husband was.

_This was us,_ the Doctor said inside her mind. _This is your true future, Rose, not this hell you're in._

Rose teared up but she kept her eyes closed. The Doctor showed her another version of him and showed her Jack so she'd understand his connection to him. Rose smiled through her tears as she watched her and Jack teasing each other while the Doctor watched from the console. Her heart ached as she wanted that future restored to her and her hatred of her husband increased. She felt the Doctor taking his fingers away and the images ceased. She kept her eyes closed and tried to hold on to the memories while the Doctor wiped the tear stains from her cheeks.

"I want it back, all of it, my future," she murmured while she kept her eyes closed.

"I will bring it back to you, I promise," the Doctor said softly.

"But how? You're a prisoner here just like me."

"My mind is free and so is yours now," the Doctor said, leaning his face in to hers as he laid his hand on her cheek. "I'm doing things now to free us, it's just not visible."

"How long? Till we're free?"

"It'll take awhile but I'm working on it, I swear."

"It'll be too late."

"What makes you say that?"

Rose swallowed hard.

"He won't let us live. He can't keep me under his control and he'll kill us and Jack and Martha's family so we won't be a threat to him. He'll kill us all like he did the president."

"I know him, Rose, far deeper than you do and I know how to prevent him from killing us. He might brag about killing us but he won't do it, we're too valuable to him for the moment. And he's had numerous chances to kill me in the past but he never did. He could have killed me the night he aged me and he didn't. My mind's been free since that night and he hasn't killed me yet. He thinks we're helpless, both of us. That's why he's allowing you to have a free mind. I'm sure he thinks as long as he beats on you and tortures you from time to time, you'll be kept in line. I'm sure he knows you're in here but so far the guards haven't come to drag you away. He's arrogant and that'll be his undoing."

He inched closer to her until she was next to his body. Rose closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh as he rubbed her back. She brought back the memories he had given her and were comforted by them. Even in his advanced age, she would take him over her husband any day.

"Are you hungry?" Rose murmured as she lay next to him.

"I could do with a cup of tea but other than that, no."

"I'll fix you some tea then."

"Later. Just lay here a bit."

"Okay," Rose murmured, happy to be near him.

After spending half the night having sex with the Master and being slapped around, Rose felt comforted and knowing she was safe in the Doctor's arms, she felt herself drifting off to sleep. Before she surrendered herself to sleep, she heard herself murmur I love you and the last thing she felt before falling asleep was the Doctor's lips on her forehead.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

From that time on, Rose made sure she did what the Master wanted so he wouldn't hurt her or anyone else. The Master never mentioned her visits to the Doctor but she figured he knew. She figured it was a way of torturing them both by having them fall in love during their enslavement. She had tried to get to Jack but he was being too well guarded. She became friends with Martha's family though, especially Tish and she asked Tish to tell him from time to time that she cared for him and the Doctor was trying to find a way to free all of them.

She kept herself busy during the day while her husband was off touring missile sites and trying to locate Martha Jones. She tried to keep the Doctor informed of what was happening as well as bring him meals and comfort. She knew that this was keeping his hopes up and she realized her hopes were being kept alive too. She had only known the Doctor for two months but now she loved him deeply since she knew his love was genuine, unlike her so-called husband who only married her to spite the Doctor. Taking care of him was her first priority now. Most days it seemed like it was the only thing keeping her going, especially when everything seemed so hopeless.

Today she had a plate filled with chicken and mashed potatoes for him and a glass of milk. She had also put on a purple dress with matching purple court shoes. She put her hair back into a bun and put on some makeup. She wanted to dress up for him and make him happy.

She entered the conference room and he smiled when he saw her. He was sitting outside his tent and she kissed the top of his bald head as she put his meal down in front of him.

"You look beautiful today, Rose," he said as she sat down on the floor beside him. "I love something nice to look at while I'm eating my meal."

Rose blushed at that and the Doctor squeezed her hand before he began eating. While he ate, Rose spoke softly telling him what was going on.

"He's building more missiles all over the world," Rose said to him while he ate. "He won't say why though."

The Doctor munched thoughtfully on a chip.

"Wouldn't be for the Earth, he's already ravaged that," the Doctor said.

"Other worlds?"

"Perhaps. His megalomania knows no bounds. He's tried to take over other planets before."

"He's killed more people," Rose said. "People are resisting and those Toclafane things are killing them. He's also searching for Martha. He kills anyone he thinks might be harboring her. I don't know why he tells me this but he does."

"Gloating. I think he knows you tell me so he's doing this as a way of gloating," the Doctor said. "For all his gloating though, he hasn't found Martha. Nearly two months and she's still managing to elude him. Like I said, he isn't infallible. This chicken is delicious."

"The Master has a private cook. I ask the cook to make something for me and bring it to you. Otherwise, you'd be getting hog slop, I imagine."

"You eat as well, right?" the Doctor said. "You're not starving yourself to feed me?"

"I eat. But most days I don't feel like it," Rose said. "I'm just worried about you and Jack. I still can't get to Jack. He's too well guarded."

"And I'm not and I'm supposedly the more dangerous of the two," the Doctor said. "I think this is his way of tormenting us. He thinks I'm too old and feeble to do anything and he's threated to torture and beat you if you get out of line. He thinks we're helpless so he allows you to come here and see me. Jack is probably too much of a risk. Threatening him with death doesn't exactly work and he's still young and strong so they guard him. I can't move very fast so they don't need as many guards watching me."

"I wish there was a way to make you young again."

"Oh, there's a way and I'm working on it," the Doctor said.

Rose saw him glance up at the ceiling and she knew he was being deliberately vague, keeping the Master guessing although she was worried he might try to torture the information out of him now and that was the last thing she wanted. But he had told her a bit about him and their past together and she knew now that this was more like a cat and mouse game, the Master toyed with him for a bit, getting his jollies until he killed him. But judging from the stories he told about their past encounters, the Doctor always managed to get the upper hand and she hoped his luck held now.

"Rose, where is the Master now?" the Doctor said.

"He went to tour some missile bases; I think the ones around Russia."

"Can you help me?"

"Do what?"

The Doctor hesitated and Rose knew it was because the Master might be listening in. He looked around and beckoned to her before going inside the tent. Rose followed him inside and sat down on the straw.

"The day before I was aged," the Doctor said, leaning into her and whispering. "Jack came up with the idea of establishing a telepathic link with you so we could communicate over long distances."

Rose's face lit up.

"Can you do it?" she whispered back.

"Dunno. The human mind is a bit weak when it comes to telepathy, however I can try to boost your capability. It might take awhile which is why I asked where the Master was at. Will he be gone awhile?"

"I think so. He takes several hours to inspect the sites," Rose whispered.

"Do you want me to try this?"

Rose nodded eagerly and the Doctor instructed her to lie down, facing him. Rose closed her eyes and relaxed while the Doctor put his fingers against his temples.

"I won't be projecting any images into your head, only trying to open your mind so if you want to sleep, you can. It might take awhile."

Rose nodded. She relaxed, loving being near the Doctor and breathing in his scent while she closed her eyes and relaxed. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep and dreamed of the Doctor, using one of the memories he gave her as a template for a dream about having a picnic on some alien planet somewhere. She didn't wake till she felt the Doctor kissing her cheeks and she slowly opened her eyes.

_I think I finished, can you hear me?_

"Yeah, I can hear you. Sorry I drifted off to sleep and…"

"It suddenly occurred to her that he had just said that without moving his mouth.

"You thought that to me, didn't you?" she said.

_Yes, I did and this as well,_ he thought to her.

Rose was ecstatic.

"But how…"

_Just concentrate on me and think, I'll be able to hear it, hopefully,_ he thought.

Rose concentrated on his face.

_Like this?_ She thought.

She could tell from the pleased look that he'd heard her.

_Not as strong a reception as I'd like but I could hear you_, he thought. _Anyway, now that you can do this, we can talk without fear of the Master listening in. I need to use the camera at some point to send a message to Martha. You said the Master uses broadcasts from time to time for propaganda purposes. _

_Yes, but what for?_

_Because I have a plan and she needs to come back in a few months in order to complete it. We need to do it when the Master is asleep so he won't be aware I'm broadcasting. _

Rose thought for a moment.

_Drug him, _she thought to him_. He has a lab here. We can find something to put in a drink and make him go to sleep. _

_To get past the guards, I need my perception filter back. He took it from me. Do you know where it is, looks like a key with electronic parts attached to it._

_Yeah, I've seen that. He put it in the top drawer of his desk in his office. _

_On board here?_

_Yes. I can get it for you._

_Jack had one as well and hopefully, he has both. If he does, we can wear them and slip past the guards. He can't be fooled by it but the rank and file can. _

_How d'ya mean?_

_It makes us unnoticeable. So we could be next to someone and they wouldn't know we were there._

_Wait, the night you were at Heathrow, you just suddenly appeared out of thin air._

_That was the filter. I was there all the time but you didn't see me till I took it off. _

Rose was amazed. She didn't realize what those keys really did, only that they were wearing them the night they were captured.

_I can get them. I can go now while he's still away._

_Be careful; don't take any unnecessary risks, _the Doctor thought.

_I won't, I promise. But…if you have those filters, can't we just escape to the surface?_

_Dunno, I need to be here at a certain time to spring the trap. Is there a way out of here?_

_There's a private helicopter on the flight deck for the Master to use as well as a small airplane. _

_I might be able to pilot the plane, have had some experience with that. The only problem is if we escape here, we'd have to find Martha and I don't have a clue where she's gone. It might be safer right now to just get a message out to Martha from here. I don't want the Master to start a hunt for us if we go._

Rose nodded. She decided she better go and get the filters before her husband returned. She kissed the Doctor on the lips and kissed his forehead, promising to return as soon as she could before she backed out of the tent and hurried out of the room.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Rose calmly walked down the hall towards her husband's office. She was sure the guards wouldn't do anything but she didn't' want to arouse their suspicions either. She was glad the Doctor had given her the telepathy. Even though she doubted he could do much in his condition, at least he could talk to him while she was away from him.

_Doctor,_ she thought to him.

_Yes? _

Rose frowned. His voice was still clear but fainter. She guessed that's what he meant about her mind not being very strong when it came to telepathy.

_I'm nearing the office, no resistance yet,_ she thought.

_Be careful just the same,_ he thought back.

Rose reached the office. She looked around before testing the door. To her relief, it opened and she walked inside. The air was chilly and she could hear the whoosh of the air conditioning unit as she closed the door. She walked over to the desk and tried the top drawer. She sighed when she found it locked and she walked back towards the door. She knew where one of the keys were, she'd seen the Master hiding it one morning when he thought she wasn't looking. She hurried to the bedroom and went inside. She went to the cupboard and slid open the teak wood door. She reached her hand up to the shelf above the clothes and ran her hand around on it until she found the key near the back by the wall. Rose snorted as she took it down and looked at it.

"Yeah, Harry, really clever hiding place," she said, rolling her eyes.

She walked back out and hurried back to the office. She went inside, shut the door and unlocked the drawer. She opened it and was relieved when she saw the filters lying near the front of the drawer. Beside it was the screwdriver. She recognized it as the Doctor's version and she took that too. She was about to close the drawer when she saw a manila folder marked Top Secret. She took it also, closed the drawer and locked it. She hurried back to the Doctor and he beamed when she handed him the filters and the screwdriver.

"Thank you, I wanted this back," the Doctor said, showing her the screwdriver. "With this, we might have a chance of escape and be able to free Jack and Martha's family."

"Doctor, I found this as well but I didn't look at it," Rose said, handing him the file.

The Doctor opened it and sped read through the paperwork inside.

"It's about Martha," the Doctor said after he finished. "They think she fled to Japan and he's…he's going to kill everyone in Japan if she doesn't surrender."

Rose sighed and lowered her head.

"I wish I'd never met him. I ruined my life," Rose murmured as the Doctor laid his hand on her back.

"You didn't know this would happen, Rose. Not to mention he hypnotized you."

"But is there a way to stop this?" Rose said, looking at him.

"I think so. He showed me my TARDIS a few days after I was aged. He modified it and turned it into a paradox machine."

"What's that?"

The Doctor explained the concept to Rose. Rose listened, stunned, while he told her about the Toclafane being able to exist and kill because of it.

"It's also the reason why I can still remember our travels together. Without that machine, my memories would have been altered since you never met me before now. Jack's memories as well. He prevented the erasure of our memories with the paradox machine with the paradox machine."

"So if the paradox machine is destroyed…" Rose said.

"Then time reverses. The Toclafane go back and the humans they killed will be restored and hopefully, you'll be able to go back to your own timeline."

"But…why can't I just stay in this timeline and travel with you once we get out of here?"

The Doctor stared at her, trying not to think of the temptation Rose just gave him. Another chance for her to be with him and this time they were past Canary Wharf, he might be given a second chance to protect her and this time he would do a better job. His mind warred with that and the call to restore Rose's rightful timeline.

"Doctor, it wouldn't hurt anything if you didn't send me back, would it?" Rose said, touching his hand.

Rose sensed his hesitation.

"Doctor, what happened to me? Am I still traveling with you? I wasn't with you when you were captured," Rose said.

"You were taken from me, sucked into another universe," the Doctor said, clasping his hands as he looked at the floor.

"Show me?" Rose said. "The memory?"

The Doctor looked at her and then put his fingers against her temples. Rose closed her eyes and watched the memory in silent horror. When she was taken away by her father, he stopped the memory and took his fingers away. Rose opened her eyes and scooted closer to him.

"Can that be prevented?" Rose said.

"I don't know. At this point in time, we've gone past those events."

"Can you keep it that way?" Rose said. "Can't you work it out where I did do that but now my younger version is here and I can travel with you again?"

"I don't know, Rose. Perhaps if I restored everything, you would know what happened that day at Canary Wharf and you could take precautions against it. Make sure the lever was secure, that sort of thing."

"But either way I'd get to be with you?" Rose said hopefully.

The Doctor kissed her forehead and Rose smiled. The more she got to know the Doctor, the more she loved him. To her, not being able to travel with him and being stuck in another universe was a nightmare she didn't care to go through. She silently resolved to either stay with him now or if she had to go back, find a way to remember Canary Wharf now that he'd given her the memory.

"What do we do now?" she said.

"Well, we could put the filters on and pay a visit to Jack," the Doctor said.

Rose nodded and slipped her filter on while the Doctor did the same. She helped him to his feet and they walked to the lift. The Doctor was slow but steady on his feet and Rose hater her husband for what he did to the Doctor.

"Can you change back?" Rose asked as he pushed the lift button.

"I'm sure I could if I got ahold of the Master's screwdriver but I have a feeling that'll be harder to nick," he said.

Rose silently resolved to also get a hold of the Master's screwdriver as they stepped inside the lift.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Hey! I need to pee, can you gents unchain me so I can?" Jack asked the guards standing guard over him.

He was standing on a platform with his arms chained up. The guards were in front of a chain link fence that separated him from them and they had their backs to him. Jack whistled at them and shook his head when they didn't respond.

"Fine, but if I pee my pants you have to clean up the mess," he called to them.

He spied Tish as she turned the corner about twenty feet ahead of the fence. He grinned at her. Tish had been put in charge of feeding him but perhaps she could persuade the guards to let him go to the bathroom. He watched while Tish walked up to the guards and asked them to check out a gas leak.

"I smell gas, come and take a look," she said to them.

The guards glanced at each other and followed Tish as she led them away. Jack groaned, his bladder near to bursting. Then he saw the Doctor and Rose appear out of thin air about five feet from the fence. He saw the perception filters in their hands and grinned.

"Wondered if you might be able to get those toys away from the Master," he said.

"I told Tish to lure the guards away," Rose said to him.

Jack frowned.

"Is she on our side?" he asked the Doctor as he walked to the fence and unlocked it with the screwdriver.

"She is," the Doctor said.

"Good. Nice to know she's no longer under the Master's thrall. Rose, my dear, would you please grab that can over there in the corner and let me pee in it. I need to badly."

Rose spied a coffee can in the corner and brought it over. The Doctor unzipped Jack's pants and brought his penis out. Jack sighed in relief as he peed into the can.

"Thank you so much," Jack sighed when he finished. "God, that feels good."

Rose put the can back while the Doctor put Jack's penis back in his pants.

"Don't think this is in any way sexual," the Doctor said, glancing up at Jack.

"At your age? You're a bit old for me now, grandpa," Jack teased.

"We don't have much time," Rose said, coming up to him.

"I noticed you have the screwdriver," Jack said to the Doctor.

"Yes, Rose got it back for me along with the perception filters."

"Then take her away from here. Leave this place. There are escape pods. Tish told me about them."

"What about you?" Rose said.

"Forget about me. I can't stay dead and I know how to handle torture. I just want you and him away from here. Find a way to meet up with Martha and get young again."

"But we can't leave you here," Rose said.

"Yes, you can. Doctor, she's more precious than anything here. Don't leave her with that monster. She doesn't deserve to be raped and abused. Take her away from here…now."

"But the screwdriver…" Rose said.

"He has it," Jack said.

"No, she means the Master's screwdriver. It has the aging technology inside it."

"Screw that. Find another way to be younger. Just go!" Jack said. "Shit!" he added when he heard the guards coming back. "Go now!"

The Doctor and Rose put their filters back on and Jack watched as they quickly went through the fence and closed the door back before the guards noticed.

"Take her away, Doctor, before it's too late," Jack murmured as he watched Rose and the Doctor pass the oblivious guards and head back to the lift.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Rose said when they went past the lift.

"Going to speak with Tish and her family. We need to know where the pods are," the Doctor said.

"Doctor, wait, Jack! We can't leave him!"

"Rose, he's right. I can't risk you staying here. I keep wondering if this sudden freedom is a buildup to something. The Master might be doing this to torture us. He'll allow us to become close and then steal your memories away or hypnotize you again. I can't let that happen. We're the ones who are in the most danger here. We need to escape and find Martha."

Rose nodded and the Doctor squeezed her hand. She wanted to get away from her husband as fast as she could but she cared about Jack and she hated to think of him being tortured and killed over and over because of her. But she reasoned she and the Doctor could do more good if they were free and down below so she hurried with him as he looked for Tish.

They found Tish and asked where the escape pods were. Tish looked around and beckoned to them.

"Wait, what about you and your family?" Rose asked as they followed her.

"Don't worry about us. It's you and him he'll be after," Tish said. "If you take one escape pod, it won't be as noticeable as three or four."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for my part in all this," Rose said.

"No, Rose, you couldn't help it. No one blames you," Tish said. "We're all worried about you. You need to leave with him now before he makes it worse for you."

Rose sighed, hating that people were opting to stay behind while she escaped with the Doctor. Tish noticed her sadness and put her hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find a way to escape with Jack if we can and meet up with you. Just don't worry about us," Tish said.

Rose nodded but she still felt guilty. When they turned the corner, Tish slowed down and casually walked past a guard, nodding hello while she did. Rose glanced at them but they showed no sign of seeing her or the Doctor.

_I hope those Toclafane will be just as fooled,_ she thought as they walked past.

After leading them through a labyrinth of corridors and pipes, Tish led them to a round steel door. There was a steel wheel in the center of the door and Tish turned it around and around and pulled it open. On the other side was a large orb shaped escape pod. Two black leather seats were inside along with control panels.

"Get inside first, I'll follow," the Doctor said to Rose.

Rose climbed inside, sat in the seat furthest from the door and strapped herself in. There was a control panel in front of her and a small Perspex window above it. Another window was on the wall to her right and she looked out at the clouds. The Doctor slowly got in and groaned as he sat down.

"Damn these aches and pains. I'm gonna find some ibuprofen when we get down there," he said. "Thank you, Tish."

"Good luck, find a way to save us," Tish said before she closed the door.

"Can you control it?" Rose asked as Tish locked the door.

"Yes. The Master modeled this escape pods after ones found on Gallifrey. I know how it works."

"Thank God for that," Rose said.

The Doctor strapped himself in and flipped a few switches. Rose hung on to the harness around her body while the pod roared to life. She watched while the Doctor pushed buttons and flipped switches and then suddenly there was a jolt and the pod jettisoned away from the airship. The Doctor continued pushing buttons, glancing at a little monitor on the front panel to see where they were headed. He corrected course in midair and then activated a parachute. The pod slowed and Rose breathed a sigh of relief when they began to slowly drift down to the ground. It landed with a soft thump and Rose looked out the window at the London Eye in the distance. She gulped when she noticed the Eye was a burnt ruin and she felt even more guilt. The Doctor pulled a lever on the inside of the door and the wheel spun around until the door could be opened. The Doctor pushed on the door and it swung open. He and Rose undid the harnesses and the Doctor slowly got out. He stood up and looked around while Rose followed him out. She looked at the parachute streaming out the back of the pod like a big canvas ponytail and looked up at the clouds, trying to see the Valiant. But it was an overcast day and the airship was nowhere to be seen. She looked at the Doctor when he took her hand.

"Come, we need to get away from here before the Toclafane investigate," he said.

Rose nodded and walked with him towards a nearby road. The road was pockmarked with holes from where the Toclafane had fired into it. Rose glanced around but so far there was no sign of the orbs. The streets were deserted and it gave Rose the creeps. She could see trash lying about and the wind blew old bits of paper around.

"The Apocalypse," Rose murmured as they walked. "It's the end of the world."

"Not yet. The world has been crippled but it's not the end of it," the Doctor said, looking around.

"The way it looks, I'm surprised there aren't any zombies about," Rose said.

"What makes you think there aren't?"

Rose looked at the Doctor and smiled when he winked at her.

"Never mind, the Toclafane are bad enough," the Doctor said.

They walked for a bit, only finding one Toclafane patrolling around. Rose and the Doctor froze and for a moment when the Toclafane came near, Rose thought the end was coming. But the orb moved on and she relaxed when she realized they wouldn't be detected.

"Good. It'll be easier to survive down here if they can be fooled by the filters," the Doctor said.

They walked on until they found an abandoned hotel. The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other and headed inside. They walked by the front desk and Rose noticed the laser blast marks in the front of it. She also noticed the electricity was still on and she looked at the Doctor while she thought that to him.

_The Master needs electricity_, he thought to her_. For the slaves and for the machines he needs to build his arsenal. He's keeping the electricity going which is good for us. Come, let's go on an upper floor. _

They got on the lift and went to the third floor. They walked down the hallway to room 311. The Doctor unlocked it with the screwdriver, opened it and nodded when he saw it was empty. They went inside and Rose smiled when she saw the beds were still intact along with the sheets and blankets. There was a nightstand, chest of drawers and a TV on top of it. The Doctor tried the brass lamp on the nightstand and turned it off when he saw it worked.

"Sleep for a bit. We need to rest and build up our energy," the Doctor said. "As long as we have the keys on, no one will see us."

Rose nodded. She went into the loo and used the toilet while the Doctor sat down on the side of the bed and took his shoes and socks off. By the time Rose came out, the Doctor was under the covers staring up at the ceiling. Rose came over to him and the Doctor looked at her and smiled tenderly. He raised his eyebrow when Rose took her shoes off, lifted the covers and climbed in beside him.

"Wife of the Prime Minister in bed with an alien, people may talk," he said.

"Shut up," Rose said as she snuggled beside him.

The Doctor watched her with love in his eyes while she lay against him. She lay there for a moment, lost in thought about what the future might bring until she finally let out a sigh, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The Doctor watched Rose while she slept. The bruises were fading now and he was determined to keep any new bruises from marring her skin. While he gazed on her, his mind drifted back to their conversation about allowing her to continue with this timeline. The temptation kept pestering him and he had to battle against his urge to put time back in its proper order. He didn't know what would happen to her if he disabled the paradox machine but if she stayed with him, perhaps that would be a sign that she was meant to travel with him again.

_Except she would have two years' worth of memories of living with the Master and suffering his abuse,_ he thought to himself. _Then again, I could always take some of those memories out. Blimey, I wish there was an easy answer to all this. _

Rose stirred and opened her eyes. The Doctor watched her lovingly while she stared up at him. She reached up and stroked the sparse snow white hairs on the back of his head.

"How long was I sleeping?" she asked.

"Probably about an hour, not long," the Doctor said.

"You need hair," Rose said.

"I realize that. I need a lot of things at the moment."

"Adult nappie?"

"No, not that," the Doctor said dryly while she giggled. "I still have control of my bladder, thank heavens."

Rose stared at his eyes and thought it weird that they were still so youthful looking when he was so old now. It hurt her to think he was once a young man and was now reduced to this. But when she looked at his eyes, she could still see the young residing within.

"We'll have to keep moving, won't we?" she said as she stroked his hair.

"Yes. The Master will order a search when he returns. We need to be as far away from here as we can be when that happens. We can't stay near the escape pod."

"But how do we escape?" Rose said.

"I'll think of something…we both will," he said, rubbing her back. "But what about making you young again? How do we do that?"

"I've been thinking about that and I think I have a solution. The Master used Professor Lazurus's technology to age me. The Lab is here in London and I know where it is. I can use the original machine to make myself young again."

"Do you want to go tonight?"

"Yes, after dark, just in case," the Doctor said. "It's not far from here. I have my sonic and with a little jiggery pokery, I can modify it so I can turn back to my old self safely."

Rose was happy to hear that. She hated that he was so old and wasn't able to defend himself as well as he could have if he was young. She continued to stroke his hair in silence while the Doctor watched. Then she leaned in and kissed his lips. The Doctor returned the kiss and they snogged for about twenty minutes before they were interrupted by a knock at the door. The Doctor jerked his head around and slowly sat up on the side of the bed.

"Stay here, keep still," he said softly.

"Be careful," Rose said just as softly.

The Doctor nodded. He walked to the door and looked through the peephole while Rose watched nervously.

"Hmm, it's a child, a little girl," the Doctor said to Rose. "I think she'll mean us no harm."

He opened the door and smiled warmly at a little girl standing in front of the door. She was about four foot with black hair that was separated into braided pigtails. She was wearing a slightly stained purple t-shirt and faded jeans. She looked up at the Doctor with inquisitive green eyes.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello," the Doctor said, kneeling down. "How are you?"

"Fine," the girl said shyly.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Cynthia."

"I'm the Doctor and this is Rose," the Doctor said while Rose waved hello from the bed.

"You're new," Cynthia said.

"Yes, we are. We just got here."

"Daddy wants to know if you'd like some food and supplies."

"Well, we might need a bit but we need to leave here soon so not too much."

"I'll tell him," Cynthia said.

The Doctor rose up and leaned out the doorway, watching while Cynthia ran down the hallway to the door at the end of the hall. She opened the door and went inside. The Doctor leaned back in and closed the door.

"She lives at the end of the corridor with her father," the Doctor said to Rose.

"So others live here as well," Rose said.

"I'm sure the Toclafane destroyed a lot of houses, probably a lot of people are now dispossessed and looking for shelter. And this is a nice shelter, all in all. Comfy bed, telly, roof over your head. Probably a lot of people live here in secret."

"Then we should leave so we don't endanger them," Rose said.

"I agree. But first we try Lazlabs tonight and then rest. We can leave early in the morning. I want to make sure you're rested and an hour's sleep isn't enough. So go ahead and rest a few hours more and I'll wake you and…"

There was a knock on the door. The Doctor walked to it, opened it up and smiled at Cynthia. She came into the room carrying a large box. She put it on the chest of drawers beside the TV and waved shyly to the Doctor on the way back out. The Doctor thanked her, shut the door and walked to the box. He opened it while Rose got up from the bed and joined him. They opened the box and looked inside. They saw several canned goods, biscuits, some candy and a few towels and toiletry items.

"That was nice of her," Rose said.

"Yes. I have a feeling they don't have much but they were kind enough to share what they have and…"

There was another knock on the door. The Doctor opened it and Cynthia walked in with a hotplate and a pot. She put them beside the box and waved goodbye. Rose put her hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, how old are you?"

"Five," Cynthia said.

"And you're living with your dad?"

Cynthia nodded. The Doctor bent down beside her.

"What about your mum?" he asked.

"Mum died. The ball monsters killed her."

Rose's heart hurt and she knelt down and hugged Cynthia.

"The Doctor is working out a way to fix everything, Cynthia, I promise," Rose said to her.

Cynthia turned and looked at the Doctor and he put his hand on her head.

"You're very brave, Cynthia," he said.

Cynthia smiled and quickly kissed his cheek. She waved goodbye before walking out and closing the door.

"Oh God, the poor girl. Damn Harry to Hell, I hope he gets what's coming to him," Rose growled as she and the Doctor stood up.

"I will take care of him, Rose. Don't worry about him. He'll pay for what he's done here. But I hope when the paradox machine is destroyed, the Toclafane will land up back in the year 100 trillion and none of this will never happen and Cynthia will have her mum back."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Rose slept for a couple of hours before the Doctor roused her from her slumber. Rose opened her eyes and looked up at him as he stood over her. His eyes were loving as he gazed at her, so unlike her husband who showed only lust in his eyes on the good days. The Doctor wasn't like the Master. He was gentle and kind and respectful of her. She never had to worry about him waking her up and forcing her into sex because he had a hard on. The Doctor truly cared for her and that made her love him even more deeply.

She sat up and stretched before she sat on the side of the bed.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Ready when you are," she said, standing up.

The Doctor passed her a chocolate chip biscuit and she munched on it, savoring the taste of it. Even food tasted better when she was with the Doctor. She could understand how she fell head over heels in love with him the first time around. Even in his advanced age, she still thought him handsome. She made sure to use the toilet before they went outside and so did the Doctor. Once they were ready, the Doctor locked the door with the sonic and they walked to the lift.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Rose followed the Doctor while he led the way to Lazlabs. It was just after 8 p.m. now and the air was still warm enough that Rose didn't need a jacket.

"Nearly there now," the Doctor said, glancing behind him. "Good job it's so close, I'm a bit winded walking this far."

"I hope the machine works, darling," Rose said, using the pet name Harry used for her.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder and smiled warmly at the term of endearment.

"I hope so too. We won't get far if I'm this old," he said. "But I have my sonic and I'm sure that can repair any damage…"

The Doctor shut up and stopped short. Rose stopped and for a moment wondered what was wrong. Then she heard dogs growing and stepped out from behind the Doctor. The Doctor put his arm up to keep her from coming completely around him and Rose gasped when she saw two mangy Dobermans slowly walking towards them, growling deep in their throats. Rose could see foam around their mouths and she knew they were rabid.

"Doctor," Rose said as she backed up.

"Just stay behind me, Ma'dori, I'll handle this," he said adjusting his sonic to a high frequency.

He aimed it at the dogs and they howled in pain when he turned it on. The Doctor advanced on them and the dogs recoiled from him as he kept the sonic on. Finally, the dogs had enough and ran off. Rose came up beside him as he lowered the sonic.

"Poor things," he said, shaking his head. "Probably had to fend for themselves after the attack and contracted rabies along the way. I'm sure there are more feral animals around the city so we have to be cautious. We're nearly there though, just follow me."

"Doctor, what does Ma'dori mean?" Rose said as they walked.

The Doctor chuckled and took her hand.

"It's Gallifreyan. Ma means my or mine and dori means cherished or beloved one."

Rose's eyes widened as the Doctor squeezed her hand.

"My beloved one?" she said, her heart warming at that.

"You called me darling, thought I'd return the term of endearment," the Doctor said.

"I love it. Keep calling me that, please," Rose said.

"Very well, Ma'dori, your wish is my command," he said while Rose smiled and squeezed his hand.

XOXOXOXOXO

Ten minutes later, the Doctor pointed to the front door of Lazlabs and Rose breathed a sigh of relief. They had seen some more feral dogs scavenging in the distance but to her relief, they weren't close enough to notice them. They walked up to the front door of Lazlabs and the Doctor used the screwdriver and unlocked the door. The Doctor opened it slowly and stepped inside with Rose. He noticed some CCTV cameras near the door and he disabled them with his screwdriver. A few lights were still on and they walked through the dimly lit building, the Doctor disabling the CCTV cameras whenever he saw them. They found the room where the machine stood silently in the dim light. Rose walked up to it with the Doctor.

"I remember Harry mentioning this just in passing. He sponsored this man in his experiments. Now I know why," she said sadly.

"Martha and I were here because Tish worked for Lazarus. We witnessed the night he changed himself into a young man but it went wrong and he became an ancient creature. A monster that fed off others. We had to kill him because he wouldn't stop his murder spree," the Doctor said as he opened the door to the machine.

"Will that happen to you?" Rose said worriedly.

"Not if I can help it," the Doctor said.

He walked off to find the light switch while Rose examined the machine.

"Oh Harry, you ruined lives every chance you got," she murmured as she looked inside the machine. "I wish I'd never met ya."

She looked up when the overhead lights came on.

"Found it," the Doctor said, walking back. "Now, Ma'dori, if you'd be kind enough to move out of the way so I can sit inside the machine and work…"

Rose nodded and stepped back. The Doctor stopped at her side and put his hand against her cheek.

"During my search, I noticed there's a room over there with a sofa in it. Would you like to rest some more while I do this? I'll watch over you while you sleep."

Rose nodded and kissed his cheek. The Doctor pointed to a door in front of her and he slowly sat down on the platform and scooted until he was able to reach the panel in the floor. Rose opened the door, found the light switch and looked inside a small office. There was a wooden desk and chair to her left and to the right was a small leather sofa. She went inside and kept the door open so the Doctor could see and hear her if she needed her. She looked around and noticed a small white afghan folded in the corner next to a bookcase that was right beside the door. She took it and turned the lights off. She lay on the sofa and put the blanket over her. She laid her head against the plump armrest and in a few minutes, she drifted off to sleep.

"Rose? Rose!"

Rose stirred when she heard the Doctor's voice.

"Ma'dori, wake up. I think it's ready."

"The machine?" Rose murmured, trying to wake her mind up along with her body.

"Yes. I think I have it fixed and it's ready to go."

"You think? You don't know for sure?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure I modified it so I won't change into something else when I age back. But the machine will make a lot of noise when it starts and I didn't want to startle you. Sorry I woke you up."

"No, I want to see this, to make sure you're okay," Rose said, sitting up.

The Doctor smiled as she stood up and she followed him out the door. Her heart was racing, half afraid something would go wrong and she said a silent prayer that everything would work out. The Doctor instructed her to press a big red button near the machine when he yelled for her to start and Rose stood by the button, watching anxiously while the Doctor went inside and shut the door. The Doctoer yelled for her to start the machine and she hit the red button. She stepped back while the machine came to lift and four columns around it began to spin.

"Please, let my darling survive this without any ill effects," Rose murmured as she watched.

The process lasted for five agonizing minutes before the machine slowed and stopped. Rose approached the machine, silently praying it worked. She stopped when the door opened and a smile spread over her face when a youthful Doctor jumped out of it.

"I believe this is called a success," he said to Rose.

Rose let out a squeal of delight and ran into his arms. The Doctor enfolded her in his embrace and kissed her forehead when she looked up at him. He was back to his youthful, handsome self and she was glad that Lazarus's machine was never dismantled.

"How do you feel?" Rose asked.

"Molto bene! Back to my old self. But it's late and I think it's too dangerous to go back to the hotel tonight, not with all those feral dogs. So, why don't you go back to sleep in there and I'll keep watch and see if I can scrounge up a few more helpful items for our journey."

"Okay, good night then," Rose said.

"Good night, Ma'dori."

Rose grinned.

"Good night, darling, don't turn into a monster while I'm sleeping."

"I'll try very hard not to," the Doctor teased.

He walked with her back to the sofa and waited until she got under the afghan and got relaxed before he turned out the light. Rose watched, completely in love with him, while he winked at her and shut the door halfway to keep the light out of her eyes.

"My love," she murmured before she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Rose awoke after a few hours and went to find the Doctor. She thought to him when she couldn't find him and he told her to go back and wait in the office. She went back inside and sat down on the sofa and a few minutes later the Doctor appeared in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Couldn't sleep, I was just wondering what you were doing," she said.

"You have trouble sleeping?" the Doctor said.

"Well, Harry kept waking me up all the time for sex and hit me if I didn't oblige him so I started waking up on my own."

The Doctor's eyes flashed anger and he muttered something under his breath before he let out a sigh and came inside the room. Rose scooted over and made room for him while he sat down beside her.

"I thought before dawn we could go back to the hotel. Just to let Cynthia know we're going. She's been kind to us and I don't want her to worry," the Doctor said. "Perhaps we can find a Marks and Spencers on the way and get them some food as a way of saying thanks."

"Sounds good," Rose said, nodding.

"I took a look around but I really couldn't find much that would help us," the Doctor said. "A lot of the equipment is too large to carry. Interesting stuff though, lots of things in here pertaining to genetic science. I passed the time looking everything over. Lazarus was insane but he was a genius as well. I'm impressed by his scientific knowledge."

"What do we do about Martha though? How do we find her?" Rose said.

"Well, that's the problem. She's supposedly heading for Japan but by the time we get there she might be gone," the Doctor said, settling back on the cushions on the back of the sofa. "We need a way to travel. Unfortunately, she has the manipulator and the Master has my TARDIS. So we'll have to find something else and I doubt the Master has the aeroplanes up and running."

"Maybe Cynthia's father knows a way?" Rose said. "There might be a secret way for people to travel."

The Doctor nodded.

"Good idea, we can deliver the food to them and ask before we leave," the Doctor said.

"Can we still use the telly to get a message to Martha?" Rose said.

"Well, I might be able to isolate the signal so everyone gets it except the Valiant. Trouble is, we don't know when the Master is coming back or where he is. I won't risk ringing Martha on her mobile since I'm sure the Master is trying to track her that way. Hmmm…"

The Doctor leaned his head back on the cushion and stared up at the ceiling while he thought.

"Perhaps we can track her using her artron energy signature," he mused as he stared at the ceiling.

"What's that?" Rose said.

"Artron energy is harmless background radiation that gets on everything and everybody that travels in my TARDIS. It's only found in the TARDIS so it's easy to track someone using that. I might be able to make something here from spare parts that would act as a compass and point us in her direction. Wouldn't get us to her location instantaneously but it would act as a GPS. And the Master wouldn't be able to track it. Hmmm, I think I might have just the thing. Wanna help me?"

"Sure."

The Doctor got up from the sofa and Rose did the same. She followed him over to a machine in the corner of the lab. He examined it before he used his sonic to take off some of the parts. He then opened up a metal hatch in the back and harvested some wires and circuitry. Rose ran back to the sofa, grabbed the afghan and brought it back to him. The Doctor put the parts inside the afghan and when he was done with the machine, she carried the parts inside the blanket. They moved to another machine and the Doctor harvested parts from it as well. He did the same to a third machine and then he led her to a smaller lab. There was a large metal table in the center of the room with four metal chairs. The Doctor and Rose sat in the chairs and Rose watched while the Doctor used items in the room to assemble his parts. After he put the parts on the table, he handed the afghan back to Rose and she wrapped herself in the warm blanket and watched while he worked. He built a metal box using a soldering gun and put the circuitry and wires inside it. He got up and left the room for a moment after telling Rose he'd return. He was back twenty minutes later with a pocket sized calculator. He took out more of the circuitry and the display screen. He installed the screen in a hole on top of the box and worked at connecting the wires and circuitry inside while Rose watched sleepily.

When it was close to dawn, the Doctor finally announced he was finished and Rose raised her head after having it down on the table. The Doctor had installed the keypad from the calculator on top of the metal box and she watched while he punched some equations into the screen. He then held the box over his hand and Rose frowned when a small laser came out of the bottom and scanned his hand.

"I'm trying to show the device what artron energy is so it can scan for it," the Doctor said. "I used my artron energy as an example so the device can scan the world and find more. I'm isolating me so I don't register," he said as he inputted more numbers into the device. "I have to admit this is crude since it's Earth parts and I made it on the spur of the moment but it'll do until I can build something more sophisticated."

He pushed a few more buttons and waited. He stared at the monitor and smiled when something registered on the screen.

"Did you find her?" Rose said.

"Found something due east. It's giving me longitude and latitude. Let's see…"

He worked out the longitude and latitude in his head and smiled again.

"She's in Beijing. She hasn't reached Japan yet."

"How do you know that?"

"I was able to pinpoint the longitude and latitude in my mind."

"And you know you're right without checking?"

"Checking, schmecking, I have a Time Lord mind. Far more advanced than any human's and I can say with certainty that she's in Beijing."

"Harry has missile sites there. I heard him saying that to one of his underlings."

"In Beijing?"

"Just outside, I think. He was whinging because the slaves in the city were resisting and he thought he might need to punish them. He had to do that a lot actually. There's resistance all over the world. It's not that organized, just small pockets of people but they're there."

"Then perhaps we can ask these rebels to help us. We might be able to get transportation through them or at least they'd know a way to get us to China. We can hide with them as well."

"The people in the hotel like Cynthia's father. Do you think they're part of the resistance?"

"Dunno but it can't hurt to ask. I'm sure they have no love for the Master. Even if they aren't part of any organized resistance movement, they might help with information. It's been two months, Ma'dori, and we've been isolated since then. Who knows what's out there now. Anyway, we need to get going just in case anyone checks this place. Genetic lab like this must be guarded at some point so humans can't get their hands on the technology. Come on."

The Doctor and Rose turned off every light they turned on and tried to put everything back to the way it was so no one on first look would suspect anyone was there. They left the building and the Doctor locked the door with his screwdriver. The air was chillier now and it was still dark but there was no sign of dogs or any Toclafane. Rose fingered the key around her neck while she and the Doctor walked quietly.

Suddenly, the Doctor stopped and turned back towards the direction of the Thames while he thought for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Rose said softly.

"I have an idea…maybe…for a hiding place once we leave the hotel."

"And the idea is…"

"Well," the Doctor said softly as he and Rose resumed walking, "a year ago I met a woman called Donna and long story short, after a series of adventures we ended up under the Thames in a lab built by Torchwood. The lab was flooded in order to kill an alien spider's children but they probably drained it by now. It might make a good hiding place till we can arrange to get out of the city."

"I was thinking about that as well," Rose said. "What about the Tube? If Harry isn't running the trains, people might be living in the tunnels to escape him and the Toclafane."

"Hmmm, yes, that's another possibility. And if he is running the trains we can use them to get to other parts of the city. With the filters on, no one will see us in there…"

He stopped and looked down a side street. He pointed to a department store and he and Rose walked over to it. The store was deserted and the small windows on the front of it had holes in them. The largest window had been smashed out and they saw evidence of looting. The Doctor peered inside the busted window but couldn't see anyone inside. He tried the double glass doors beside the window and opened them. They walked inside and the Doctor found the light switches. He turned on a few of them, just enough to give light but not enough to attract attention. They searched the store and found a couple of large backpacks. They began filling them up with necessities for their journey. The Doctor grabbed a few plastic sacks by the cash register and carried them into the grocery section. Some of the food was spoiled and the Doctor used his respiratory bypass system so he wouldn't have to breathe in the stench. He got a few essential can good items for Cynthia and her family and put them in the sacks.

He found some nonperishable items that didn't require a can opener or cooking time and put some in his backpack. While he was doing that, Rose found him after checking out the women's clothes. She grabbed the Doctor's wrist and put a Sudoku puzzle book in his hand. The Doctor held it up when she let go of his wrist and stared at the book in confusion.

"What's this?" he said.

"Puzzle book to pass the time."

The Doctor snorted.

"I could go through this entire book in five minutes flat. It wouldn't pass much time for me," he said, handing it back to her.

She handed him another book and giggled when he looked at it.

"Bobby Bunny and the Carrot Caper," he said, reading the title of the book while Rose laughed harder. "Um…no thanks, this would be finished in two seconds and I have no interest in Bobby Bunny or his Carrot Caper. Thanks, anyway."

"Just thinking of you, darling," Rose called out as she walked away with the books.

The Doctor shook his head and chuckled. He was examining a shelf filled with cans of peas and carrots when Rose nudged him from behind. He turned and gave her a wry look when he saw a walking frame and adult diapers in his hands.

"Ooops, you're not old now, my bad," Rose said innocently.

"Yup, you're definitely back to your old, cheeky self now," the Doctor said while she laughed.

"Well, I'm not getting the shit beat out of me by my jealous, possessive husband. So I'm in a better mood now," Rose replied.

"Good, I'm glad. And thanks for trying to help me in my infirm, old age. I'll be sure to find some hair dye and track suits for you in return."

"Ooo, that was a low blow," Rose teased.

"So was the adult nappies and walking frame," the Doctor teased back.

Rose set the diapers and walking frame aside and helped the Doctor shop for food, for themselves and for Cynthia's family. When they felt ready to leave, they put the backpacks on and shared the weight of the sacks. By the time they got outside, the sun was just beginning to come up and they headed back towards the hotel.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

(12:04 P.M….)

The Master relaxed when his helicopter touched down on the flight deck of the Valiant. He'd just returned from an inspection tour of several different missile sites and he was pleased that everything was going to plan. The slaves had finally stopped their mutterings of rebellion and were working without any delays. Now the Master felt hopeful that his plan would be completed in time. The only loose end was Martha Jones. They still hadn't been able to locate her but he was sure they were close to apprehending her so he wasn't too worried.

He got out of the helicopter as soon as the rotors slowed enough for him to come out of it. He headed for the lift that would take him down into the bowels of the ship. He was eager to get back to his bedroom for a nap and he was eager to have his wife share the nap with him.

_If I can get her away from her loverboy_, he thought as he entered the lift.

He went down to the second level and the doors just opened when one of his guards ran up to him.

"Ah, Jenkins, isn't it? Nice to see you. Where's my wife?" the Master said, stepping out of the lift.

"That's why I was trying to find you, sir. There's been a complication while you were gone."

"Oh really? What complication?" the Master said, narrowing his eyes.

(Six hours earlier…)

The Doctor and Rose returned to the hotel and headed for the lift. They went up to the second floor and when they got out, Cynthia was standing by her door watching them. The Doctor and Rose walked over to her and handed her the sacks of food.

"This is to say thanks for helping us," the Doctor said to her. "We're very grateful to you."

"We can't take this," Cynthia said, looking at the sacks of food.

"Course you can. We have food now and you and your family need more. Don't feel guilty about taking it. Just go ahead and take it, yeah?" the Doctor said, kneeling down.

Cynthia nodded.

"You're young," she said. "You were old. How'd you get young?"

"Weeell…an…evil man used a magic spell and made me an old man. I reversed the spell and made myself young again."

Cynthia nodded.

"You look better young," she said.

"Thank you, I agree. Is your dad awake?"

Cynthia shook her head and the Doctor asked her to come and get them when he was awake since they needed to talk to him. Cynthia agreed and he and Rose hugged her before they walked back to their room. They entered and shrugged the backpacks off onto the spare bed. The Doctor decided to take a shower while Rose lay down on their bed. She was still sleepy and she put the blanket up over her body and went to sleep. While she slept she began to dream about her being in the Doctor's arms. The Doctor was giving the loving gaze that she adored as he held her in his arms. But when he leaned in for a kiss, there was a bang and the Doctor's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth dropped open. To her horror, Rose watched as he slowly slipped out of her arms onto the floor and lay in a pool of his own blood. Rose was frozen to the core, watching while the Doctor died in front of her. Then she heard insane laughter and looked up to see her husband pointing a gun at her, the same gun that had just shot the man she loved.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting something, Juliet? Perhaps you'd like to join Romeo," he said.

Rose watched in silent horror as he raised the gun and aimed at her head. Then he pulled the trigger and Rose jerked herself awake. She gasped as her brain registered that what she'd just witnessed was just a dream. Then she saw the Doctor leaning over her, a worried look on his face and she reached up for him.

"Rose, are you alright?" he asked as he pulled her into an embrace.

"I had a nightmare, that's all," Rose said as she held him tightly.

"It's alright, you're safe," the Doctor said. "You're in the hotel room with me."

Rose was thankful for that as she held on to him.

"I can boil some water in the pot and make some tea?" the Doctor said as they broke apart.

"Sounds good, yeah," Rose said, nodding.

The Doctor touched her cheek and walked over to the hot plate. Rose watched while he turned it on and got some water from the bathroom sink. He put it on the red hot burner and smiled warmly at Rose when he turned to sit back down on the other bed. In a few minutes, the water was boiling and the Doctor fetched the plastic water bottles from their backpacks and carefully poured hot water into each of them.

"No milk, it was all spoiled," the Doctor said as he put a tea bag into each water bottle.

"That's fine, I just need the caffeine," Rose said.

The Doctor tested the sides of the water bottles with his finger and reached into his backpack for a couple of washcloths. He wrapped them around the sides of the bottles so they could be picked up and took one to Rose. Rose murmured her thanks and took an experimental sip of the tea. It was still a bit hot so she set it down on the nightstand in between the beds and the Doctor did the same after taking a sip of his.

"Did I tell you a lot about my life when I traveled with ya?" Rose asked.

"Well, I saw a lot of your life when you traveled with me because you insisted on returning home every so often. I got to know your mum quite well. Why?"

"Harry offered my mum money as a way to get her to agree to this wedding of ours. She took it."

"Doesn't surprise me a bit. No offense but your mum would pounce on a penny in the street if she thought it might help her finances. I know she likes the finer things in life."

"Yeah, she wanted to live above her means and she finally got her wish when Harry gave her all that money in exchange for her blessing. Mind you, she was a bit wary of him at first because I was just nineteen and he was older than I was but she changed her mind after Harry began wining and dining her."

"Seduce the mother as well as the child," the Doctor said.

"Exactly. Harry used those archangel satellites of his to convince everyone to vote for him. That and the pampering made my mom think that he was really a top bloke. And he was at first. He didn't lay a finger on me at first just pampered me along with her."

"Most abusers do that. Lure you in by being generous and kind and once you're in their clutches and under their control, the gentle façade drops and their true nature is revealed."

"I thought he loved me, honestly," Rose said, after testing her tea and taking a sip. "I had an abusive boyfriend called Jimmy Stone before him and I was used to being slapped around."

"Yes, I remember hearing about Jimmy Stone the first time around," the Doctor said darkly.

"So I did tell you about my past?"

"I showed you the times we lay in bed together. We talked a lot during those times and you told me about your past then. You were very open and honest and I loved you for that. I've traveled with people who have been gregarious and others who have been reserved and I'd rather travel with the gregarious ones. Much easier to get along with them when they're willing to open themselves up and let you into their lives."

"I met him at the chippie and he was a very sweet man. We kept on meeting there after work and he was open and honest with me, at least I thought so at the time. You said he was very seductive and he did get me to open up to him, same as with you. The difference is you aren't being kind in the hopes that'll marry you and follow you to bed so you can slap me around."

"How often did he abuse you?"

Rose took a long sip of tea while she thought.

"He didn't really do anything until close to the time of the Toclafane. Course I think he was drugging and hypnotizing me so I didn't really object to what he was doing. He made it seem like it was all necessary because we had political enemies waiting to bring us down. God, what was I thinking when he killed those people. I s'pose I wasn't thinking, really," she said.

"The Master is a powerful hypnotist. He's very accomplished at it and he can bring even the most brilliant minds under his control. You don't have a weak mind, Rose, quite the opposite. But he's devious and you were trusting and he abused that trust and made you his slave. But…your mind couldn't stay under the influence for long and the drugs began to affect you less and less and he finally gave up."

"Unless he did something else. Oh God, what if he put some sort of tracking device in my body while I was sleeping or unconscious?"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned his body before reading the results.

"He hasn't. There's no sign of a tracking device anywhere on you," he said.

"Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, after all we're doing, I don't want him pinpointing me straight away," she said. "I don't want to think about what he'll do if he captures us again. He'll probably beat me within an inch of my life if I'm lucky. You…he'll probably age you again and kick you to death. I don't want that to happen."

The Doctor got up, sat down beside her and laid his hand on her arm.

"Don't worry about it for now. Just concentrate on escaping. We've come this far so don't give up before we've started."

Rose nodded and smiled when the Doctor kissed her cheek. He looked at the door when someone knocked at it. He walked over and opened it. Cynthia was standing there with a man in his late twenties. He could tell from his face that it was her father, he could see the resemblance except that his face looked haggard and tired.

"I'm Bruce," the man said, extending his hand to him.

"The Doctor," the Doctor replied shaking his hand.

Bruce looked at Rose and his eyes widen as she walked over to him.

"You're Mrs. Saxon. She's the wife of the monster!" he said angrily while Rose froze in mid-step.

"She's with me now, she's on our side," the Doctor said, stepping in between him and Rose. "We escaped from the Valiant and we're trying to find a way to stop him."

Bruce gave Rose a wary look while Cynthia looked up at her father in confusion. She walked over to Rose and took her hand.

"She's a nice lady, daddy," Cynthia said to him.

"I'm sorry for what happened here," Rose said. "My husband hypnotized and enslaved me and I couldn't help myself half the time. The Doctor got me away from him and I'm in my right mind now. Please don't tell anyone I'm here. I don't want to go back. He'll kill us if we're caught. Please, if you can help us escape, we'd be grateful."

"Escape to where? Saxon has his grip on the whole world now," Bruce said.

"Yes but we have a friend in China and we want to find her. She doesn't know we've escaped," the Doctor said.

"China? And you think you'll be able to get that far without capture?" Bruce said, giving him a dubious look. "The Toclafane are everywhere and they keep an eye on coming and goings."

"We have a way to hide ourselves from the Toclafane and the Master's minions. We just need a way to get out of England and start our journey to China. Our friend is from England and she somehow managed to make it that far."

"You're very brave or very foolish, one of the two…or perhaps both," Bruce said. "You seem trustworthy though and if you can help stop Saxon, you have my support. I have friends who are allowed to drive. They're medics and they have clearance to drive to the labor camps and check that the slaves are healthy. They drive a lorry and I think I can arrange to have you and Mrs. Saxon ride with them. It's the only way I know of to get out of the city."

"Thank you, any help you can give us is welcomed," the Doctor said.

"Stay here and let me contact them. If they leave, it won't be until a few hours from now. Just give me time to speak to them."

The Doctor nodded and Bruce called for Cynthia to come with him.

"And thank you for the food," Bruce said when Cynthia went outside the room. "That's another reason I decided to help you. Just relax and I'll be back in about an hour."

The Doctor and Rose thanked him and waved at Cynthia when she waved goodbye and walked away. Bruce nodded at them and smiled and followed his daughter back to their room as the Doctor closed the door.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

When Bruce returned, it was nearly ten o'clock. Cynthia came with him and Rose smiled when she walked over to her and sat with her on the bed.

"I spoke to my friends and explained the situation," Bruce said. "We came up with this plan. My friends will drive you to the labor camp near Maidstone. My friends worked at the hospital there and they still take laborers there when they're ill. Now there are other people who help transport the ill to hospital since the bastard up there basically works people to death. My friends will contact others who can drive you to other labor camps and you can keep doing that till you get to Dover. The chunnel is closed and there are no unauthorized crossings. However, I know there are people who risk their lives to get people across to France, sort of like the American Underground Railroad they set up before the Civil War to get the slaves to freedom. There is a network of people who are setting up something similar to that but it takes time to set it up, especially across borders. I think at the moment it extends as far as Riems in France, after that you'd have to find other help and transportation but at least it gets you out of England."

"Thank you. If we can get that far we'll have time to think up alternatives to get out of France," the Doctor said. "If our friend can make it to China by herself, we can find a way there as well."

"My friends are leaving in an hour so be ready by then. We'll knock on the door when they come and you will meet them outside the hotel. Their names are Brian and Tom."

The Doctor thanked him and shut the door. He smiled at Rose.

"With luck, we'll be out of England before too long," he said.

(12:20 P.M….)

Tish was mopping the floors of the Valiant with her mother, Francine. Suddenly, they heard an angry bellow and both of them looked up.

"GUARDS, BRING ME THE JONES FAMILY!" they heard him scream.

Tish looked at her mother.

"I think he found out they're gone," she said to her mother.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Jack jerked his head up when he heard the Master screaming for the guards. He watched while his guards ran off, obeying their master's orders while he kept on yelling for the guards to bring the Jones family to him. He looked at the steel plates on the posts. The chains that held him were attached to them but he'd realized the screws were loose ages ago and he'd had been silently pulling on the plates, trying to loosen them enough that he could pull the plates off the posts. When the guards left, he strained his muscles trying to pull them one last time.

XOXOXOXOXOX

The guards shoved Tish, Francine and Clive. The Master stood in front of them, seething, as they stood and stared at him, unafraid. Six of the Master's guards surrounded them, their guns pointed at the Jones Family while they gazed calmly at the Master.

"Where is the Doctor and my wife?" the Master growled at them.

"We don't know," Tish said.

"You helped them escape! Admit it!" the Master said, pointing at Tish.

"I did not. We were all working when they escaped."

"Liar!" the Master yelled as he stomped over to her. "You helped them escape and you and your mother and father will suffer for it! Guards, take them to a cell so I can prepare some sort of torture for…"

"Help!"

The Master jerked his head and looked over Tish's shoulder when he heard a guard yell in the distance.

"See what that is!" he yelled at two of his guards. "Help whoever that is!"

The guards ran off to assist while the other four grabbed the arms of Tish, Francine and Clive. The Master smirked at them.

"Like I was saying, you'll be taken to a cell where you'll await torture," he said.

XOXOXOXOXO

Jack let out a loud grunt as he gave one last tug and pulled the metal plates off the posts. He jumped down off the platform and ran to the fence. His guards had all gone so he met no resistance at first as he went to help Tish and her parents. But when he turned a corner, he saw two guards standing there. The guards gave him shocked looks and he used that shock to his advantage, grabbing the top of the chains and smacking the guards in the face with one of them as hard as he could. The guards fell to the ground, stunned, and Jack grabbed one of the AK-47s and ran with it. He began to wreak havoc, trying to draw the guards to him and away from the Jones family. He used the gun to scare the guards and the chains to bring them down. He heard some of the guards calling for help and he hoped that meant it would bring the others. If they killed him, he would recover, Tish and her parents wouldn't.

He smacked his chain into the face of another guard and stepped on his chest when he went down. He aimed the AK-47 at his head.

"Where are they taking Tish and her parents?" he growled at the terrified guard.

(One hour earlier…)

"Doctor?" Bruce called through the door as he knocked on it. "They're ready for you."

"Ready?" the Doctor said to Rose.

"Ready," Rose said, putting her backpack on her back.

The Doctor put his backpack on and opened the door. Bruce and Cynthia were waiting for them.

"Thank you for doing this," the Doctor said to Bruce.

"You're welcome. I just hope you know what you're doing," Bruce said.

"I hope so too," the Doctor said. "But we can't stay here. The Master will be back soon and he'll start looking for us."

Bruce nodded. Cynthia took the Doctor and Rose's hands and walked with them while they followed Bruce to the lift. When they stepped outside, Bruce pointed out a white lorry parked in front. Two men were standing by it. They were twins with identical sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. One man had his hair cut short while the other had it shoulder length. Both of them were muscular and both of them were wearing white shirts and black pants. On their shirts was clipped an ID card. Bruce introduced the one with short hair as Tom and the other one as Brian. The Doctor and Rose shook their hands and then Rose hugged Cynthia tightly while Tom unlocked the back door and slid it up.

"You be a good girl now and mind your dad," she said to Cynthia.

"Be careful. Don't let the ball monsters get you," Cynthia said, hugging her back.

"I won't. Don't let the ball monsters get you either," she said.

The Doctor hugged Cynthia when Rose pulled away. She leaned back up and looked at Bruce when he laid his hand on her arm.

"I'm glad you saw the light," he said to Rose. "You might find others who aren't too thrilled with ya but I can see now that you aren't the monster we thought you were."

"Harry did the killings and the enslavement. I was a puppet, to put it kindly," Rose said. "I don't want this misery for you or Cynthia or anyone else and I'm going to help the Doctor put it right."

"Good. Good luck to you and to him. Be careful," Bruce said.

Rose thanked him and stepped back as the Doctor shook his hand and wished him luck. Bruce pulled Cynthia back onto the curb while the Doctor and Rose walked to the back of the lorry. There were medical supplies in the front, stacked up, tied and wrapped up until they formed a large cube on a wooden pallet but Tom told them to go between the small space between the two pallets and when they did, they found an old mattress covered by a white fitted sheet behind them. Two pillows were on top of the mattress and an old faded blue blanket was folded at the end of it. Beside the mattress was some bottled water and two flashlights.

"Make yourselves comfy," Bruce said. "It'll be a little over an hour to reach the camp."

The Doctor and Rose lay down on the bed and turned on the flashlights when Tom slid the door shut.

"Here we go, on our way at last," the Doctor said.

"I just hope we make it."

"We will, have faith," the Doctor said.

Rose looked down at her wedding ring and a look of disgust passed across her face. The Doctor watched while she took it off and threw it across the lorry.

"I don't want that thing on my finger," she said. "I don't want any reminder of him anywhere on my body. He disgusts me."

"Do I disgust you?"

Rose was shocked.

"No," she said emphatically.

"Not even when I do this?" he said, sticking his finger up his nose and rotating it around.

"Um…okay, now you disgust me," Rose said while the Doctor gave her a devilish grin and removed his finger.

The Doctor snickered and shined his flashlight on his butt while he scratched it.

"Ah, sweet relief from the itch," he sighed while Rose laughed and gave him a playful shove.

He shined the flashlight on his crotch as he went up on his side and Rose stopped his hand before it got to it.

"Alright, Mister Disgusting," she said, laughing, "you can stop that now."

She noticed the Doctor was straining himself.

"Now what are you doing?" she said.

"Trying to toot my poot," he said.

"Alright, you disgust me, will you stop now," Rose said, laughing.

The Doctor laid his head on the pillow and shined the light on his face while he batted his eyelashes at her.

"Did you do a lot of this teasing with me before?" Rose asked.

"Are you kidding? We had a blast in the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "Actually, teasing helped keep us sane, especially when we were in tight spots. I remember one time we faced death by a firing squad on a distant planet and the only way you could keep calm was by having a laugh and teasing me while I teased you. When the opportunity came to escape, you were relaxed and calm from all that and it made our escape that much easier. To be honest, you introduced it because my previous life, I was a bit of a grumpy grump and you got tired of that so you kept getting me to laugh and I started doing it in return and we had our own special rapport going. So yes, this is normal for us."

"I like that idea. Teasing to keep the spirits up," Rose said. "Wish that'd been Harry's philosophy."

"Well, I'm surprised you didn't get through to him. You got through to me and I was a severe grumpy grump. But then again, the Master is barking mad while I'm just common or garden mad, big difference."

"You're not mad," Rose said.

She laughed when the Doctor's eyes bugged out and he began to breathe heavily.

"Okay, you are mad, completely mad, I take it back," she said as the Doctor grinned at her.

They paused when they heard the lorry start up.

"Ooops, I tooted my poot," the Doctor said, pointing to his rear end. "Or was that the lorry? Because my farts do sound like lorry engines some days. Can never be too sure."

"Rose laughed at that.

"I think that was you. I smell exhaust fumes now," she said.

"Is that what that was? I thought it was my rancid alien breath. I don't clean my teeth, ever. That's what we did on my planet. Didn't clean teeth, didn't wipe arse and tooted our poot from night till dawn."

Rose laughed hysterically while the Doctor smiled tenderly, loving that she was happy and laughing. The truck began to move and the Doctor looked around.

"Heeey! We're on the move now. Fancy a snog?" he said, wagging his eyebrows.

"You want to snog on a dirty mattress in the back of a lorry?" Rose said.

"If we do, do I get to run to the press and say an alien snogged the Prime Minister's wife on a dirty mattress in the back of a lorry?"

"Only if I get to say I had a lesbian orgy with the Spice Girls."

She laughed at the wide eyed look on the Doctor's face.

"Really? You did? Was Posh Spice good in bed then?" he said.

"Nah, Becks kept interrupting us."

"Pity. You should have told Becky Boy to mind his own business while you had your lesbian encounter with Mrs. Becky Boy," he said while Rose giggled.

"This whole conversation has taken an odd turn," Rose said.

"Yes but you can't deny it's a fascinating topic. The wife of the Prime Minister has an alien lover and Spice Girls on the side whenever she gets bored. The Sun would have a field day with that one."

"True," Rose said. "But The Sun is probably no longer in business."

"True," the Doctor said. "We…"

Rose gasped when the wheel under them hit a large pothole.

"Ow, I felt that all the way down in me nibblies," the Doctor said.

"Dare I ask where your nibblies are?" Rose said.

"No, you don't wanna know. They're very tender. I can't bear to have me nibblies hurt," he said.

"Ooooh, this is gonna be one interesting journey," Rose said as the Doctor scooted closer to her.

Rose snuggled up against him and the Doctor grabbed the blanket, covered them up and turned off the flashlight while Rose lay her head on the pillow and listened to the rumbling of the lorry.

"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

(12:40…)

The Master was fuming as he walked down the corridor. The guards finally managed to subdue Jack after he knocked almost all of them out. They shot him and when the Master walked up, he was lying dead at four of the guard's feet.

"Can't you idiots maintain control while I'm gone?" the Master bellowed at the guards. "I thought you were the best of the best but I see I employed the Marx Brothers and their family and their cousins and all of them are in charge of guarding my prisoners.

He sighed angrily and walked up to Jack.

"So…what do you do with a man who can't die?" the Master said.

He raised his eyebrow when Jack suddenly gasped and woke up.

"Like I said, what do you do with a man who can't die?" he said as he leaned down next to Jack.

"You won't get anything out of me or the Jones family," he said as the guards lowered their guns and kept them aimed at his body. "We won't betray our friends."

"I know that but it'll still be fun torturing the Joneses. And you, my immortal friend, I have an idea. I think you'll be of more use to me being my employee than standing around being chained up."

"What does that mean?" Jack said.

"It means, sweetie, that you're going to be brainwashed and hypnotized until you become my obedient hunting dog and then you're going to go fetch my wife and the Doctor and bring them back to me."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

(12:13….)

Tom lifted up the door of the lorry.

"We're here!" Tom called to the Doctor and Rose. "This is the Maidstone Labor Camp."

The Doctor and Rose picked up their backpacks and walked to the front of the lorry. They put their backpacks on their back and the Doctor jumped down. He helped Rose jump down and Tom pointed to a large fenced in area in front of them. The fence was chain link with razor wire on top. Beyond that, they could see a bunch of shoddy looking wooden buildings. The ground inside the fence had cut grass and some litter was strewn around the place. The dirt road the lorry was on led up to the fence beside a small wooden guard shack. Tom beckoned to the Doctor and Rose and they followed him up to the shack. Inside was a bored looking guard. He looked like he was in his late teens and he was reading a hip hop magazine. He put the magazine down and nodded at Tom. Tom showed him his ID.

"I'm here with Brian and a colleague called the Doctor. Also, Mrs. Saxon has come to make an inspection of the place."

The guard jumped to attention upon hearing that and put his magazine down.

"Sorry, Mrs. Saxon, a thousand apologies. Didn't know it was you," the man said sheepishly as he saluted.

"Quite alright," Rose said, waving her hand dismissively. "Just don't let it happen again. You never know who might try to infiltrate the Prime Minister's work camp."

"Yes, Ma'am," the man said while the Doctor held back his laughter. "I will do better in future!"

"See that you do," Rose said, pretending to be distracted. "Anyway, can we move on, please? I want to see the camp."

"Of course, Ma'am," the guard said.

He pushed a button and the fence blocking the dirt road slid back. The Doctor, Rose and Tom turned and went back to the lorry.

"Oh, you are good, Mrs. Saxon," the Doctor said softly.

"Thank you. I try."

She went up to the front and got in the passenger side seat while the Doctor and Tom hopped up and sat on the edge of the lorry. Brian started the engine and slowly backed the lorry inside the camp. They backed up to the first wooden building and Brian shut off the engine. He and Rose got out of the lorry while the Doctor slid off the back. Tom got up and walked over to the pallet on the left. He took a box cutter out of his pocket and cut through the plastic wrapping around the first set of boxes. He grabbed one of the white boxes, walked over to the edge and jumped down. He closed and locked the door and walked over to the others.

"Come this way," he said to the Doctor and Rose as he and Brian walked with them to the wooden building. "This is barracks number one. We usually go around to all of them and see if anyone's sick. This is filled with medicine and medical supplies," he added, nodding at the box. "If they're not too ill, we treat them on the spot but if they're ill, we transport them back to the hospital. The mattress in the back is normally used for them so it arouses no suspicion when inspectors see it back there."

They climbed three wooden steps to a small wooden porch. Tom walked up to a battered wooden door and knocked on it. It was opened by a middle aged man with a shaved head and a sallow complexion. He was wearing white scrubs that were slightly dirty. He smiled at Tom and Tom put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Nigel, good to see ya, how you feeling today?" he said to him.

"Cough still not better," Nigel said, stepping aside to let them inside. "Got anymore cough syrup?"

"I'll have to check," Tom said politely.

Nigel nodded and shuffled off while they watched. When he was out of earshot, Tom turned to the others.

"He doesn't have a cough; he's a cough syrup junkie basically. He wants it so he can forget the horrors here. He's not the only one so I don't keep cough syrup on the lorry. I keep it back at the hospital for the people who really need it. Can't fault them for trying to make themselves drunk. Have the same problem with the psychotropic drugs as well."

The barracks were filled with bunk beds from one end of the building to the other. The prisoners were given a small sack for their meager possessions that hung on the end of their bed. Their blankets were thin cotton blankets that Rose doubted could keep anything warm at night. The pillows were old and the pillowcases looked dirty with holes in them. Rose seethed silently as she looked around at the squalid conditions and the condition of the slaves. All of them were malnourished with pale complexions and thin faces. All of them had lifeless looks and dull eyes.

"Damn you, Harry," Rose growled softly as she looked at everyone.

The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder when he heard that. The slaves were mostly adults although they saw a few preteen children who looked like they were on the verge of death. Tom sat the box on a bottom bunk and everyone gathered around while he opened it. On top were small brown sacks filled with sweets and Tom passed that out to the children, shooing away a couple of greedy adults who tried to take the sacks from them. Then he asked if anyone needed a check-up and he and Brian cared for the ones who stepped forward. While they were doing that, the Doctor and Rose walked around the large room.

"This is horrible," Rose said. "Oh God, these poor people."

"I thought you saw this before," the Doctor said. "You said you did inspections in the Master's place?"

"That was a lie," Rose said. "Harry never trusted me enough to let me come here. Probably because I would've objected. It's one thing to tell me political enemies are after us and need to be eliminated but to try to explain away all this. Even he isn't that stupid."

They waited until Tom and Brian had finished with their patients and they walked with them to the next barracks. Each building they went to was much like the rest. Squalid conditions, sickly patients and little hope or laughter. The Doctor tried to amuse the children they saw with a yoyo he pulled from his pocket. Rose loved that he was trying to make the children laugh and tried to keep their spirits up with his toys and his antics. It endeared him to her that much more and she was glad she met him, both in this timeline and the other. There were a few people who recognized her and some of them backed away in fear but most of them seemed not to care, not only about her but about nothing in general. Her heart ached seeing her fellow humans like this and she hoped the Doctor could fix everything and make the world normal again.

When they got to the last building Brian led everyone out of the building, telling them the supplies were on the lorry. The Doctor and Rose watched while the slaves shuffled out of the building, leaving them alone with Tom.

"Didn't want them to see this," Tom said, reaching down.

He found a groove in the floor and pulled out a section of the floor. There were steps leading down and Tom pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket and went down the stairs. A light went on a moment later and Tom called them down. They went down and saw a room had been dug out of the ground. There was a bunk bed off to their right with a small battered table that had a brass lamp on top of it. One side of the room had a large piece of plywood lying against it that went from floor to ceiling.

"This is where we hide the people we're going to transfer out," Tom said. "I'm going to contact my friends and they'll come get you. The gate is shut at night. There is a curfew. But…"

He pulled the plywood away and there was a tunnel behind it.

"Our friends will come through here and you'll leave through here," Tom said. "It leads to a forest about a quarter mile from the labor camp. From there, our friends will take you on to Dover."

"Thank you for everything," the Doctor said.

"Yes, thanks," Rose said. "We're grateful for what you've done."

"No worries, always happy to help anyone in the resistance," Tom said. "I just hope you know what you're doing. China is a long way off."

"We'll be alright. Just keep yourself safe," the Doctor said.

Tom nodded and smiled. He bid them goodnight and the Doctor and Rose watched while he placed the plywood back over the tunnel before he went upstairs. The Doctor slapped his hands together when Tom closed the trap door.

"So, top or bottom bunk then?" he said to Rose.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

The Master grinned at Jack.

"Comfy now?" he asked him.

Jack had been strapped into a metal chair in the middle of the Master's laboratory. Leather straps held his wrists, arms, ankles, legs, chest and forehead in place. Jack glared at the Master while he gave him a gleeful look.

"You're not gonna get away with this," Jack said.

"Oh? I already have I believe," the Master said. "And that line is so cliché, come on, Harkness, think up something better. I heard that all the time from the Doctor, I don't need it from you."

"Whatever you're going to do to me, I'm going to resist it!" Jack said.

"Ooo, brave words. But I'm afraid you're going to be knocked out while I do this. I'm going to put some sedative in your veins and deliver the hypnotic suggestion subconsciously. That way you won't be able to fight it."

The Master leaned over him and grinned.

"And the best thing is, the Doctor can't kill you. Well, he can kill you but you'll just get back up again after a minute or two and carry on. The perfect assassin!"

Jack grunted as he tried to fight the straps. The Master whistled and calmly walked over to the counter to fetch the IV bag so he could turn Jack into his slave.

XOXOXOXOXO

Rose lay down for awhile while they waited for their ride to Dover. The Doctor waited by the stairs, his hands in his pockets while Rose watched him.

"D'ya think when we get to Dover, we'll have someone waiting to take us to France?" she finally said.

"Well, we've been lucky so far and if there really is a sort of underground railroad being set up all over Europe, we might be able to catch up to Martha in no time."

"Wish there was a way to tell her we're down here so she'd try to wait."

"I know," the Doctor said as he sat down on the steps. "But on the other hand, I don't want her to stay long enough for someone to detect her. She has her perception filter and that's helping to conceal her but it's not foolproof. If she slips up and draws attention to herself she can be seen."

"And so can we," Rose said.

The Doctor nodded. He held up his hand and put his finger to his lips when they heard movement up above. Rose lay in the bed and listened to people walking on the floorboards above them.

"Alright, you lot, get to bed!" someone barked.

"Those poor people," Rose said softly. "Makes me wish Harry was up there being ordered about."

"Things'll be set right, I promise," the Doctor said softly as he looked up at the trapdoor above him.

"I said, get to bed!" the voice said. "Prisoner 606, get to bed before you're punished for insubordination!"

"Took their names away," the Doctor said softly. "Dehumanizing them."

"Get to bed, 606!" the voice bellowed.

"No!" they heard someone else say.

"Sounds like someone is tired of being ordered about," the Doctor said.

"I'm warning you, 606!"

"My name is Bill, not 606, and I'm tired of being a slave! You can't tell us what to do! You're not better than any of us!"

"Good for Bill, whoever he is," Rose said softly.

"For the last time, 606, go…to…bed!"

Rose lifted her head up when they heard sounds of a struggle and the sounds of distress from other people. They heard the sound of fist hitting flesh and a thud as someone hit the floor near the trapdoor. Rose looked at the Doctor. She could tell by the clenching of his jaw and fist that he was resisting the urge to go up and join in the fight. Rose swallowed hard when they heard the slave master cursing out Bill as he hit him repeatedly over and over. Then they heard repeated thuds like a hammer being pounded onto the wood.

"Stop, you're killing him!" they heard a woman cry out. "Leave him alone!"

Then the thudding stopped and they heard the faint crying from women as the assault ended.

"You killed him!" the woman cried out.

"Silence or you'll be next!" the slave master bellowed.

Rose clenched her teeth when the crying ceased and there was an eerie quiet above them. They heard scuffling sounds and Rose figured that was the sound of someone moving the body away. The Doctor shook his head and Rose could see him mouthing something. She guessed he was cursing the Master and she didn't blame him. She wished again she'd never listened to her friends and talked to him. It'd been nothing but chaos and disaster since. She got up from the bed and walked over to the steps. The Doctor put his arm around her when she sat down beside him and she leaned against him, guilt flooding her mind while she imagined the man taking the body out to be buried or more likely, incinerated.

"You can fix this, can't you?" she said, more to herself than to the Doctor.

"I will do everything I can with every last breath in my body," the Doctor said. "If the paradox machine is destroyed, time will reverse and Bill will not only be alive but he'll be free with no memory of ever having undergone this terrible ordeal."

Rose was comforted by that and she sat with the Doctor listening to the stillness above them while they waited for the people to come and get them.

It was nearly midnight and Rose had lain back down before the men came and was currently asleep. The Doctor was still on the steps, lost in his thoughts, when he heard a soft scratching coming from the plywood followed by a soft knock. The Doctor walked over and removed the plywood. He stepped back in shock when he saw who was there. There was a man and a woman. The man was Caucasian with pockmarked skin and a blue Mohawk. He had a nose ring in his left nostril and a lip ring on the lower lip. He was dressed all in black with block gloves on his hands and black army boots on his feet. That wasn't what shocked the Doctor. It was the woman, a very familiar looking woman who gave him a shocked look in return.

"Donna?" the Doctor said.

Donna was also dressed in black, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail. The Doctor noticed she looked thin and a bit haggard but other than that, she hadn't changed from the last time he saw her. The man beside her looked at Donna.

"You know him?" he said to Donna.

"Yeah, I do. What are you doing here?" she said to the Doctor.

"Escaping with Rose."

"Rose? You found her?" Donna said, stepping inside the room.

Rose, hearing the conversation, woke up and lifted her head.

"Are you the ones coming to take us to Dover?" she said.

"Rose is the Prime Minister's wife?" Donna said to the Doctor.

"It's a long story but she's on our side," the Doctor said as Rose got up from the bed.

"Never thought I'd see ya again. I thought something happened to ya after the Toclafane attacked and the Master took over," Donna said. "This is John, we've been moving people out of England for a month now."

"Good for you," the Doctor said proudly.

"Lost my family. Mum, dad, granddad, I was out with Nerris when they attacked and the fucking Toclafane destroyed our house, shot it to bits and…cut up…"

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. "I will fix everything and undo what was done."

Donna nodded and smiled. John asked if they were ready and when they told him they were, he and Donna turned on his flashlight and they led them through the tunnel. John led the way and Donna hung back with the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor introduced Rose to his old friend and Donna shook her hand.

"Heard about you from him," Donna said, pointing to the Doctor. "Met him just after he lost you. He was grieving for ya. I'm glad he found you again."

Rose gave the Doctor a questioning look.

"This was part of the proper timeline," he said to her. "Donna, the Master took Rose out of her proper timeline before I ever met her. As far as I know, the original Rose is still in the other universe, this Rose doesn't know about Canary Wharf."

"Oh," Donna said, frowning. "Then how could you know her if you never met her?"

The Doctor explained about the paradox machine while they walked. John kept glancing back at them and giving them odd looks while he listened to the Doctor's story but they ignored him. By the time they reached the woods, the Doctor had brought Donna up to date with all that'd happened.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, they climbed up a metal ladder and pushed aside a fake bush make of chicken wire and leaves. Rose and Donna went up first followed by the men. John shoved the bush back over the hole and led them through the woods to a battered old lorry parked just inside the treeline. He opened up the back and the Doctor helped Rose into the back while John and Donna shone their flashlights inside. As before, there were pallets of medical supplies and Rose went in between them to the mattress behind it. The Doctor followed her and he sat down beside her.

"Go ahead and drive, I want to sit back here with my friends," they heard Donna say.

The Doctor and Rose turned on the flashlights by the bed as Donna walked to the mattress and sat down on the end of it. John closed the door and locked it.

"Shouldn't be too long," Donna said. "A couple of hours since we take some back roads to avoid suspicion. Once we're there, we have some friends waiting to row you across the channel."

"Come with us," the Doctor said. "Help us."

"You sure? I might get in your way. I'm not an alien fighter."

"Neither is Rose, especially since she never traveled with me before but she's risking her life to come with me. Please, Donna, we need all the help we can get."

"You really want me to come?" Donna said.

"I really do. I asked you before if you wanted to travel with me and I only extend that offer to people I feel are capable of fighting evil. You have nothing holding you here, come with us to China and help us find Martha."

Donna smiled.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you ask that. Been regretting my decision to leave you behind. You're right, with my family dead, there's nothing for me here now. There are others who help us out with the transportation so John won't be shorthanded. If you'll have me, I'll come."

The Doctor hugged her tightly.

"Welcome back, Donna Noble," he said, letting go.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

The Doctor smiled while he listened to Rose and Donna chatting and getting acquainted with each other. It felt good to see his friend, alive and well, although he ached knowing her family had been destroyed. He began to wonder if some of his other friends that lived on Earth had survived the ordeal. He wondered if Sarah Jane had survived and he wished he could go back and check but now it was too late. They were on their way out of England.

Halfway through the trip, they felt the lorry slowing down and stopping. Donna held up her hand.

"We're not there yet, something is stopping us," she said softly. "Quick, get under the blanket and pretend to be sick in case someone does an inspection."

She moved off the bed and the Doctor and Rose lay down. Donna put a cotton blanket over their bodies and the Doctor and Rose faced each other while Donna walked up to the front.

"If they see me, they'll know who I am," Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"We need to change your appearance," the Doctor whispered back. "At least change the color and style of your hair. But keep quiet; we're wearing the filters so hopefully whoever this is won't see us here."

"Keep forgetting about those things," Rose whispered as she fingered the key. "What about Donna though?"

"I'll have to make another one for her when I have the time. For the moment, her medical ID is protecting her," the Doctor whispered.

They heard someone outside telling John to show his ID.

"We're transporting patients to the hospital at Dover," John was saying. "My partner and I are licensed to travel."

"Where is your partner?" the voice demanded.

There was a moment of silence and then they heard the door unlocking and being lifted up. The Doctor put the blanket up over Rose, hoping whoever it was would see him and not her.

"I have an ID," Donna said.

They felt the lorry rock and heard it creak when she jumped out of it. He swallowed hard; hoping Donna and John wouldn't be found out or punished for doing this. The last thing he wanted to see was his friend being killed in front of him.

Then he froze when a Toclafane ball zoomed into the back and hovered above him. To his relief, Rose lay absolutely still and the Doctor put his hands up, purposely showing himself so the Toclafane would know there was someone there and be satisfied. A small hatch opened up on the bottom of the ball and the Doctor squinted when a spotlight switched on and illuminated his face in the darkness.

"Who are you?" the Toclafane said to the Doctor. "Identify yourself."

"Prisoner 125, from the labor camp at Canterbury," he said, hoping there was a labor camp there.

The ball hovered silently above him and for a moment, the Doctor feared he'd been found out. Then the ball zoomed away and he let out a soft sigh of relief.

"You may continue to Dover," he heard the ball say. "Do not deviate from your course."

"Wouldn't dream of it," John said.

The lorry creaked and shifted again and Donna came back to them while Rose peeked out of the blanket.

"Bloody balls, I hate them," Donna muttered as John closed the door and locked it. "Harass us every chance they get. We usually get stopped once per run so it would have been unusual if we hadn't met one. They run night and day though, whatever they are, they don't need sleep."

"They're something from the future, from the year 100 trillion," the Doctor said as they heard the passenger door slam and the motor starting up. "Toclafane is a made up word, a bogeyman from my home world. Whatever these things are, that's not their real name."

"Do you know how to stop them?" Donna said as Rose lowered the blanket to her upper arm and relaxed.

"Not yet but we'll work on that once we get to France," the Doctor said. "I need to make you something when we get there."

He showed her the filter and explained the concept to her.

"Sorta like the biodamper?" Donna said when he finished his explanation.

"Sorta. It'll hide you from humans and the Toclafane but not Time Lords so the Master won't be fooled but he's small potatoes compared to his army. If we can hide from six billion Toclafane and move about unmolested, we can find a way to fight back and stop the Master."

"And you can destroy this…paradox machine?" Donna said.

"I'll do whatever it takes to destroy it, even if I have to lose a life in the process."

"I believe that, after seeing ya in action underneath the Thames."

"Oh yeah. Rose, this is who I was talking about when I was talking about the Torchwood lab under the Thames," the Doctor said. "She was with me there."

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"Donna told her about her encounter with the Doctor while Rose listened. While she did that, the Doctor closed his eyes and reached out with his mind to the Archangel satellites. He'd been doing that for the past month after he decided to try to link his mind with them. He hoped that perhaps he could use the satellites to try to find Martha as well as pinpoint missile bases and other things the Master was doing. The images he was getting from the satellites were fuzzy and indistinct; he hadn't tuned in long enough to get a clear picture. But at least he was making progress. At least he could see something now even if it was just a blur.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor opened one eye.

"You finally go to sleep?" Rose said.

"No, meditating," he said.

"He never sleeps. At least I've never seen him sleep," Rose said to Donna.

"I don't need that much sleep," the Doctor said, opening both eyes. "You lot are sleepyheads, not me."

"At least he'll stay awake most of the time," Donna said. "We need someone to watch our backs. I just hope you know what you're doing. I hope I know what I'm doing," she added. "I've been trying to avoid getting killed these past few months."

"Really?" the Doctor said. "You help to transport people illegally out of England and you're trying to avoid getting killed?"

"Yes, but we make sure we won't have any problems or at least not many when we do this. This going out into the world is something new and risky."

"Perhaps," the Doctor said. "But I think the Master will eventually kill all the humans off, given enough time. If he doesn't work them to death in the labor camps, he'll use them as cannon fodder in his war or kill everyone just for shits and giggles."

"War?" Donna said.

"What else is he building the missiles for?" the Doctor said. "I told Rose that he doesn't need the missiles to subjugate the humans, even the rebels. Not when he has six billion Toclafane at his disposal. He's doing this to make war with other planets. The Master won't stop until he rules over all."

"Great!" Donna said. "Love how you know all these homicidal aliens that are hellbent on destroying Earth."

"Well, when you fight evil as long as I have, you're bound to make enemies," the Doctor said. "It's time to make a stand though or we're all just sitting ducks."

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing," Rose said.

"Precisely. Apathy can be as big an enemy as guns or missiles. If we just sit back and let the Master run roughshod over the planet, we're beggers to our own demise. We might die but we'll probably die anyway, so what have we got to lose?"

"Our heads and arms and legs once those balls get done chopping us up," Donna said grimly.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Finally, they reached Dover and the Doctor nudged his friends awake when the lorry stopped. Donna got up, grabbed one of the flashlights and went up to the front while Rose sat up and yawned.

"And now it's possible death at sea," Rose whispered to the Doctor. "Wonder if those things patrol the ocean as well?"

"Don't know but these people have been doing this for awhile, Ma'dori, we have to trust them," the Doctor said. "They obviously have a way to shield people who don't filters so you and I have an edge on them."

"But Donna, they could see her and whoever will be taking us across. Oh God, I wish this nightmare was all over."

"So do I, Rose, so do I," the Doctor whispered.

They stood up and the Doctor gave Rose's back a brief rub as he followed her up to the front. John had unlocked the door and Donna had jumped down. The Doctor and John helped Rose get down and then the Doctor jumped down behind her. They were parked out on the beach and the moon made the white chalk of the cliffs stand out. John led them down to the roaring water and Rose thought the white foam of the waves as they crashed against the beach was beautiful. She was thankful that her husband hadn't managed to destroy every beautiful thing on Earth.

Rose looked around but couldn't see any boat. She asked John where it was and he told her to be patient. Rose stood by the Doctor's side and the Doctor put his arm around her shoulder while they stared out at the crashing waves. Then twenty minutes after they left the lorry, they suddenly saw a light briefly flash in the distance. John raised his flashlight and clicked it on and off twice. There was a pause and the light flashed twice.

"That's them," John said to everyone.

"What sort of boat is it?" Rose said.

"Rowboat. Speedboat would alert the Toclafane. We have a large rowboat with room for twenty so you lot will fit nicely."

"We're gonna go twenty one miles in a rowboat?" Rose said in dismay.

"That's why we start at night," John said. "Don't worry; they're experts at rowing across now."

The light flashed again, just beyond the breaking surf and five minutes later they could see a long white boat and four men inside. The men got out into the water and dragged the boat up onto the beach. At the back of the boat was a makeshift canopy made out of brown tarps. The tarps were on a metal frame that was attached to the sides the boat and the tarps were tied to it, making a shelter in the back. The wooden planks where the men sat had been removed in the back and a green plastic tarp had been laid down under it. On top of it were several heavy blankets and a large sheet of clear plastic. The men approached the Doctor and Rose. The man in front was middle age, grizzled with a full red beard and mustache. He had dark green eyes and a warm smile. He was dressed in a black flannel shirt with jeans and rubber boots. He extended his hand to shake and the Doctor noticed a large scar running along the back of it.

"Name's George," he said in a thick Scottish accent. "Nice tae meet ya. We'll be takin' ya 'cross the pond here to Frogville."

The second man stepped up. He was a young Asian man with a thin face and a goatee. He grinned a toothy grin that was missing a few molars from the top. He extending his hand and the Doctor noticed a wedding ring. He was also dressed in black flannel and jeans with rubber boots.

"I'm Yun," he said to them with a slight Japanese accent.

The third man was Jamaican with dreadlocks hanging down past his shoulder blades. He had on a grey jacket that was slightly open, showing a black t-shirt underneath. He had on black jeans and rubber boots.

"Name is Joseph, nice to meet ya," he said with a heavy Jamaican accent.

The fourth man stepped up. He was albino with snow white hair that had been tied back in a ponytail. He had pale pink eyes and pale skin. He was dressed in the black flannel, jeans and boots that his companions were wearing and he had a black ski mask that had been pushed up to his forehead. He smiled at everyone.

"I'm Patrick," he said with an Irish accent. "Don't mind the pale skin and pink eyes, I'm perfectly normal otherwise."

The Doctor and Rose introduced themselves and shook everyone's hand. To Rose's dismay they recognized her and the Doctor had to explain that she was helping the rebellion. She knew now that she would have to alter her appearance once they got to France. She was too well known and she didn't want that to be a liability. They were already in enough danger without her putting everyone in more peril.

George told them to go ahead and sit in the back of the boat.

"We have blankets for you tae use and there's plastic to protect youselves in case the water gets a bit rough. The weather's a bit unpredictable sometimes so just be warned of that. Where are you goin'?" he said when he saw Donna walk past them.

"She's going with them," John said. "Turns out these are old friends of hers and she's decided to help them."

"You're nae gonna stay here then?" George said.

"No, I have to go with them. They need me," Donna said. "They may be the only chance we have to set things right."

"Set things right? The world is already fucked up," Patrick said.

"That may be, but I want to go," Donna said.

"Fine. It's your funeral," George said. "Okay, if you're going tae go, get inside so we can get goin'. We have a lot of rowin' to do tonight and the moon's out."

Donna hurried and got into the back of the boat. The Doctor and Rose were sitting on the top, huddled together with the blankets around them. Donna grabbed one of the blankets, threw it around her and sat down beside the Doctor. She huddled with them while the four men grabbed the sides of the boat and shoved off. They leaped into it nearly at the same time and grabbed the oars as they sat down on the seats, rowing away from the shore while the passengers in the back tried to keep warm and dry.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

All night long, the men rowed. With four of them doing the work, they allowed two men to take a break at one time so they could keep on going. The four strong men were making good time and the boat skimmed through the water at a good clip.

The water was slightly choppy. A fierce wind had blown up and the tarps made a snapping noise as it moved them. The boat was wide enough for two people to lay down and the Doctor moved up to the beginning of the shelter while Donna and Rose lay down on their sides and rested. The Doctor threw an extra blanket over both of them and the plastic on top of that, keeping them warm and insulated while he kept watch. The moon was the only source of illumination but the Doctor had keen eyesight and he watched lovingly over the women as they drifted off to sleep.

At one point, Patrick and Joseph took a break. They laid their oars inside the boat and rested their arms. They noticed the Doctor huddled inside the blanket and Joseph reached down under the plank they were sitting on and pulled up a metal box.

"Are ya hungry, mon?" he said to the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at them and shook his head. He watched while Patrick and Joseph reached in and took out a couple of turkey sandwiches, a thermos of hot tea and two plastic cups.

"How long have you been doing this?" the Doctor said while Patrick poured the tea into the cups.

"About a month. We finally decided to stop sitting around on our arses and help," Patrick said. "There were others before us who helped set up everything. They moved on to Europe to continue setting up our transportation network and we stayed behind and took over.

"Do you have family?" the Doctor said.

"Had a wife, she was killed by the Toclafane the first night," Patrick said. "The rest of my family lives in Londonderry. Have no idea if they're alive or dead."

"Same with me. My family is back in Jamaica. I came here five years ago to look for work. No idea if they're livin' or dead now. Damn that Saxon," Joseph said before taking a sip of tea. "What about you? You have family?"

"Not anymore. My family is long gone. I only have friends like these," the Doctor said, gesturing to Rose and Donna.

"Sometimes your friends are closer than your family is," Patrick said.

"And they are. Never got along with my family. My friends became my surrogate family," the Doctor said.

"Nothin' wrong with that, mon," Joseph said.

They chatted for a bit before Patrick and Joseph finished their meal and joined the rowers again. The wind was blowing harder and the boat was rocking as the waves lapped up against it and the clouds were beginning to obscure the moon. Rose stirred when the rocking became too much to ignore and the Doctor put his hand on her leg.

"It's alright, just some winds," he said to her.

"What time is it?" Rose murmured.

"Um…nearly half past three now," the Doctor said, glancing at his watch.

"Do you know where we are?" Rose murmured.

"English Channel," the Doctor said.

"I know that, smartarse," she said while he snickered. "I mean where are we in the English Channel?"

"No idea. Can't see any land yet though," he said, leaning back and looking around the tarp. "I…oh, bugger," the Doctor said when he felt raindrops on his face. "Looks like rain now."

"Come inside a bit more," Rose said, sitting up and scooting back.

"Lay down, Rose," the Doctor said.

"No, I'm fine. Just come in here so you don't get rained on," Rose said as Donna stirred and lifted her head.

The Doctor got up on his knees and crawled inside so he was out of the elements. The rain hit the tarp and made a dripping sound as the rain fell faster. Donna sat up and looked around, trying to wake her brain up.

"How far along are we?" Donna said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Not sure but I'm hoping the rain is as bad as it gets," the Doctor said, listening to the pitter patter on the tarp.

They watched while the men stopped rowing briefly to reach under their planks and grab waterproof black raincoats and hats. They put them on and Patrick turned on an electric lantern and passed it back to the Doctor before he turned on another one, put it down between the planks and put a small sheet of plastic over it. The Doctor put the lantern in the midst of him and his friends and they scooted together and kept each other warm while the rain fell hard against the shelter. The Doctor was thankful for the shelter since the wind was blowing fiercely now but he hated that the men who were risking their lives to ferry them across were getting pelted by the rain. He wondered how many colds the men had suffered over the course of doing this and he wished he had something to give them to reward them for selflessly doing this for them.

After a half hour, the wind began to die down and the rain slowed. Another half hour passed and the rain stopped completely, although the moon remained hidden behind the clouds. The waves calmed and now were lapping gently against the sides of the boat while the men paddled.

"Good thing the rains came," George called out to the passengers. "Havin' a moon out like that is dangerous. Bloody Toclafane can fly out here and if they see us, we're as good as dead!"

"At least we'd have a burial at sea then," Donna quipped.

The Doctor noticed Rose was slightly shivering. He reached behind him, grabbed another blanket and she thanked him when he put it around the one she was using.

"What about you, aren't you cold?" she said while Donna put another blanket around her body.

"No, I have a high tolerance for cold. I'm fine with one blanket," the Doctor said. "Actually, I'm fine with no blankets but this blanket is nice and comfy so I'll keep it around me."

"Wish I had your tolerance, the rainstorm made it colder," Rose said, wrapping the blankets tightly around her. "I hope we won't be out here much longer."

She let out a mirthless laugh.

"I'm sorry, I'm whinging when that lot was directly out in the rain and wind," she said. "I sound like an ungrateful hag."

"Nah, you're just trying to keep warm is all," the Doctor said. "I wish I could offer you better body heat but my body temperature is lower than yours. I'm not much good when it comes to warming bodies up."

"Nah, I'm glad you're here," Rose said. "Just you being here is comforting."

"Good."

The Doctor smiled when Donna snuggled up on the other side of him.

"Didn't you just hear that I'm useless when it comes to body heat," he teased her.

"I don't care. I agree with Rose. You have a comforting presence," she said. "Out here on the ocean with no land in sight and who knows what might be out here. Not to mention surviving once we get to France. You have the ability to put people at their ease, that's for sure."

"I'm just an all-around people person," the Doctor said. "I make people feel comfy, that's my secondary job after Time Lord. Time Lord and Comfy Person. I'm like a big teddy bear, eh?"

"Um…I wouldn't go that far," Donna said. "Especially after I watched Teddy Bear wipe out an entire nest of spiders."

"Yes, well, I was…angry and in pain at the time that happened," the Doctor said uncomfortably, preferring not to think of the genocide he caused that night.

He could feel Rose studying him and he gave her a tender look as he pulled the blanket closer around his body.

_You've suffered so much, haven't you?_ She thought to him. _What my husband did to you was just the latest in a long line of torments, yeah?_

_I'm used to pain and suffering, _the Doctor thought back as he watched the tarp in front of him ripple in the wind. _That's another thing you get used to when you fight evil._

_And I suffered at your side?_

The Doctor lowered his eyes and nodded. Rose reached out of her blanket and the Doctor did the same, clasping her hand in his.

_I don't know how I felt before,_ she thought to him. _But I know now that I would suffer at your side and be glad to do so because you sacrifice so much for us….all of us._

The Doctor squeezed her hand in reply and Rose rested her head against his shoulder. The Doctor watched lovingly while she let a soft sigh escape from her nose, closed her eyes and went back to sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

"Rose? Donna? We're here."

Rose opened her eyes and lifted her head off the Doctor's shoulder. Donna was lying on the bottom of the boat and she also lifted her head up.

"Land?" Donna said.

"Yup, nearly there," the Doctor said, sticking his head out past the side tarp. "The view however is not all that great."

Rose glanced up at the sky and noticed the sun had risen, although the sky was overcast. She hoped no one was watching them.

"How'd ya mean, view isn't great?" Donna said, sitting up.

"Well, there's this ginormous statue of Saxon on the coastline," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes. "It mars the view, that's for sure."

"What?" Rose said, crawling over to the side.

Her mouth dropped open when she saw a fifty foot statue of her husband right on the beach. It was made of bronze and depicted him standing arrogantly on the shore, staring across at England with arms crossed.

"Oooo, Harry," Rose growled. "Your ego knows no bounds!"

When they got close to the beach, the four men jumped out and grabbed the sides pulling it up onto the beach. When they were grounded, they called for everyone to depart. They folded the blankets and plastic and left the boat.

"Jesus!" Donna said, glancing at the statue. "That thing is huge, you can see it from Dover but I didn't think it was this big."

"Yeah, like he said, it ruins the view here," Yun said. "Crazy, egotistical bastard. I hope you do have a plan to stop him because I'll be the first one to applaud if you do."

"We're gonna do our best," the Doctor said.

George reached into the metal box and pulled out a large brown sack.

"This is some food for you," George said, handing it to Rose. "There's a map inside the sack that shows you where tae go next. The house isn't far but we can't take ya. We need tae rest up and go back across tonight with supplies for the resistance. We took a risk yesterday because we started early so we could meet you at midnight. We normally go back and forth at night, ferrying passengers and supplies back and forth but we made it in one piece."

"We're grateful to you for doing this," the Doctor said to them. "I wish there was a way to repay you."

"Get rid of him and that's good enough for me, mon," Joseph said, pointing up to the statue.

The men wished them luck before they pushed the boat out into the water and jumped in. They turned to the left and paddled along the shoreline while the Doctor, Rose and Donna walked towards the statue. The Doctor asked Rose for the map. She stopped for a moment, found it and handed it to him. The Doctor studied it while they headed for Saxon's shoe.

"Not far by the looks of it, about a mile or so," the Doctor said, studying the map while they walked. "According to the notation, the woman who will be meeting us is called Clarice."

"I would hope that we couldn't see the eyesore from her house but I'm sure that's not a possibility," Donna said, gesturing to the statue.

The Doctor lowered the map and shook his head as they neared the statue. He smirked when he noticed the shoe had seagull shit all over it.

"I notice the birds have given their opinion of it," the Doctor said, pointing to the poo. "I'm surprised the Master doesn't have his "volunteers" out here keeping his statues clean. I s'pose they're all busy building his doomsday weapons."

They reached the shoe and rested a moment. Rose craned her neck up, looking up at the crotch area of the statue.

"I'm surprised he didn't order them to keep his trousers off so his penis points directly to England," Rose said dryly.

She walked around it, trying to work out the stiffness she acquired during the night. She reached the other side of the shoe and froze when she noticed what looked like a door cut into the side of the shoe. She ran her hands over it, trying to find a way in and then she found a groove on the right side of the door near the edge. She put her fingers inside the groove and was surprised when the door swung open easily. She was shocked when she saw a lift inside the shoe and she called for her friends. They came around the shoe and she showed him the opening. The Doctor peeked inside before going in. He walked over to the lift and examined it. There were steel supports all around it, making a shaft that went up the Master's leg. On the support on the right side of the lift was a panel with the outline of a hand etched on it and a speaker above the outline. The Doctor put his hand inside it and watched while a blue laser scanned it.

"Subject's identity not verified," a robotic voice came from the speaker. "Access denied."

"I'll see about that," the Doctor said, pulling out his sonic.

He aimed it at the outline and turned it on. He then tried his hand again and this time the voice told him that access was granted. The Doctor grinned when the lift doors slid open and he, Rose and Donna walked inside. There was no panel inside but the lift went up automatically so they stood patiently to see where it went. When it stopped and the doors opened, they were standing in the lower extremity of the statue. There were several slits in the bronze skin that allowed the sun to come through and give them some light. Across the way was another lift that went up. The Doctor scanned the hand print beside it, scanned his hand and they went inside. Again, the lift started automatically.

"You don't get much choice on destination in here," the Doctor said as they went up.

The lift stopped again and when the doors opened they were inside the head. The eyes of the statue had been carved out and covered over with Perspex so they had plenty of light. The lift doors closed after they stepped out and looked around. Floor was made of bronze with a hole in it for the lift to go through. There was a tan leather sofa near the back of the head with a matching overstuffed chair beside it. Near the front of the head was a long wooden table with several folders on it. To the side of the head was metal steps that were welded into the side with a bronze railing on the other side. The steps led up to a bronze platform that went under the eyes so the person could go up and look out. Rose and Donna headed for that while the Doctor headed for the table and the folders. Rose and Donna went up and walked over to the left eye.

"Blimey, what a view," Rose said as they looked out at England in the distance.

"Makes you wonder how many times he's come up here and looked out at England," Donna said.

Rose snorted.

"Knowing Harry, I'm willing to bet he has these all over the world with viewing platforms like this. Survey his little kingdom," she said. "Like I said, I'm surprised he didn't have the penis extending out over everything. The statue is sorta like a big metaphorical penis."

She grinned when she heard the Doctor chuckling at that. She walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down at him.

"What about you, darling? Find anything?" she said when she noticed he was scanning the paperwork in the files.

"So far, I've found reports. Observations from in here and elsewhere. As you said, Ma'dori, surveying his kingdom," he said. "He has reports here from spies, not just from England but from all over the world."

"Martha?" Rose said while Donna came to her side.

"Some, yes. Most of them are unsubstantiated reports though. I think the spies sometimes get a glimpse of her through the filter because so far the spies write that they're never for sure if they've seen her or not. I'm sure the Master knows she has a filter on because his notation says to tell them to just keep looking. I think he thinks he'll get lucky and catch her unawares."

He set down the folder he was perusing and picked up another one. He sped read through the paperwork.

"This one is reports on possible rebels and subversives," he said as he read. "From all over. According to his notations, some were rounded up and executed, some were sent to labor camps. Some were brainwashed and sent back out among the rebels as spies. He's very through with his paperwork; I have to give him that."

He finished that folder, set it down and picked up another folder that didn't have much inside it. He sped read though the paperwork and his eyebrow rose.

"Rose, this one is about you," he said, looking up.

"Me? What does it say then?" Rose said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well, we were right about him watching us when we were prisoners on the Valiant. He was listening to us and this is transcripts of some of our conversations. According to his notations, he was hoping I'd say something about Martha. I think he was using you as an involuntary spy. Probably hoped you get me to open up and say something. Problem was, I don't know where Martha went so there wasn't much for you to glean form me."

He put that down and picked up another one.

"This is about you as well," he said. "But this one seems to be like a diary, keeping records of your drugging. He does note that the drugs and hypnosis were beginning to wear off and he was worried about that."

"He did that to you?" Donna said.

"Yeah. Everything he did when it was early days, I did nothing about because he did that to me," Rose said. "When the drugs and hypnosis started wearing off, I began to protest and he had to resort to beating me to keep me in line."

He looked back down at the Doctor and noticed he was looking at something in disbelief.

"What? What is it?" she said.

"Rose, did he ever mention wanting children?" the Doctor said, looking up.

"Sometimes. But it was just talk," Rose said.

"No. According to this it was more than just talk, Ma'dori. He was going to try to genetically engineer a baby and implant it inside you."

"What?" Rose said. "Genetically engineer one? Why didn't he just do it the old fashioned way."

"Because it wasn't his genetic material he was going to use, it was mine. He was going to use DNA from my severed hand to create a genetically enhanced child."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

Rose was stunned into silence while the Doctor read on.

"Hand, what hand?" Donna said.

"I lost a hand right after my regeneration. It was lopped off in battle by a Sycorax. That was on top of that ship I asked you about on Christmas Day when you told me you had a hangover, I believe. Anyway, somehow my friend Jack found it and kept it in a jar. He called it his Doctor detector and I hope that's the only reason he had it. But I took it back and it was in my TARDIS when the Master took it. He used the genetic material from the hand to artificially age me but apparently he wanted to do more with it."

"But why you? He's supposed to be the superior one," Rose said.

"Probably because deep down he recognizes he really isn't superior. I've defeated him so many times and outwitted him so perhaps he was going to use my DNA in the hope of creating my equal. Doesn't say why but perhaps this child would be his heir? Only reason I can think of for creating a child in these circumstances."

"And when was he thinking of doing this then?" Rose said angrily.

"Not sure. But it must have been sometime before I showed up if he was going to use the hand and not me. Then again, the hand wouldn't fight back," the Doctor said. "When he brought the subject up about children, Rose, what did you tell him?"

"I said I didn't think it was the right time," Rose said. "We had enough on our plate without adding a child and I just thought we should wait until we left office."

"I think the Master had other ideas," the Doctor said grimly. "I'm willing to bet he would have drugged you into insensibility, for the extraction of your eggs and for the implantation. Or just strapped you down and let you scream while he did it. Either way would have worked for him, I'm sure. He doesn't care as long as he gets his way. And that's what he's been doing since he got here from the future, getting his way. Well, he's gotten his way long enough," the Doctor said angrily as he slammed the folder down on the table. "Come on, we need to get out of here and get to the safe house before someone finds us."

XOXOXOXOXOX

The Master walked around Jack as he stood silently in the laboratory. He had finished his brainwashing and unstrapped his new assassin. To his delight, Jack obeyed his command to stand at attention without any resistance.

"What is your name?" he asked Jack.

"Assassin Delta," Jack said without emotion.

"Excellent. What is your mission?"

"To find the Doctor and Rose and capture them or kill them if they resist," he said.

"Good. Who do you serve?"

"The Master," Jack said without hesitation.

"And how long will you serve him?"

"Forever."

"Excellent," the Master said. "Now, you have your orders. I want you to start with the escape pod and work your way out from there. Talk to anyone nearby and if they've seen the Doctor and Rose, make them tell you where they've gone…by any means necessary. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Now go and obey me!"

The Master chuckled when Jack turned and headed towards the lab door.

"My immortal assassin. Bless you, my wife, for making him indestructible. Too bad that gift of mercy and love is about to be turned against you," he said as Jack left.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The Doctor, Rose and Donna hurried towards their destination. They tried to keep near rocks or trees so Donna would have somewhere to hide in case Toclafane showed up. But so far there was no sign of them after a quarter of a mile. The Doctor could see a quaint little cottage in the distance that he figured was Clarice's house. He could see a barn and a shed behind it and saw a fenced in area with some cattle roaming inside it. Behind him, Rose carried the sack and he looked behind when she was silent for a time. He noticed how sullen she was and he slowed so she caught up with him.

"You're upset about what the Master wanted to do to you?" he said.

Rose nodded.

"It's just another betrayal in a long line of em," she said. "Nothing I said or did mattered to him. I was just a means to an end. I thought he loved me but he never did. Everything he did was to get back at you and destroy the Earth. I just hate being so gullible."

"You're not the first one he's betrayed. I told you; even the smartest have fell prey to him. What matters if you're free now and away from him and not at his side gloating about what he did."

"But what happens if he catches up to us?" Rose said.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," the Doctor said. "For the moment, concentrate on the here and now."

Rose nodded. Suddenly, the Doctor froze and commanded in a terse voice for everyone else to stop. Rose and Donna froze and a second later they saw the reason why when a Toclafane came out from behind a rock. Rose gasped when the Toclafane headed straight for Donna but the Doctor grabbed her hand, stilling her.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the Toclafane said with a feminine voice when it reached Donna.

"Donna Noble, Medic," Donna said, pulling her ID out of her pocket and showing it to the Toclafane. "I'm doing a house call at that house over there."

The Toclafane came in close and scanned the ID while Donna stood still. The Doctor and Rose kept silent and watched while Donna calmly stood her ground. The Toclafane finished its scan and flew off while Donna's shoulders slumped.

"Whatever that key thing is, I want one now!" Donna said when the Toclafane was safely away from her. "I'm tired of flashing my ID every five steps. Those things are menaces! What the hell are they anyway? You said they're from the future. In the future, there are annoying ball aliens?"

"I've never seen them before," the Doctor said.

Donna froze.

"Okay, I haven't know you that long but even I know that's an unusual statement for you," Donna said.

"I don't know what they are; they seem to be a new species. But I'm determined to figure out what they are and stop them," the Doctor said.

"Can we bring one down?" Donna said.

"Harry acted like you couldn't do that. He boasted that they were indestructible," Rose said.

"The Master makes a lot of empty boasts, just so you know," the Doctor said as they resumed walking towards the house. "I've escaped from more of his inescapable traps than I care to admit. So just because he says something is indestructible doesn't mean it is. We just have to find the Toclafane's weak spots."

They finally reached the house after another twenty minutes and knocked on the door. It was opened by a beautiful young lady with long, flowing blonde hair, heart shaped face and blue eyes. She gave the Doctor a quizzical look and the Doctor introduced themselves and told her why they were there. The woman's eyes bulged and she chuckled.

"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind, monsieur," she said. "I received a message but I have had so many things to do today that I forgot you were coming. A thousand pardons. I am Clarice. Come inside, please!"

The Doctor thanked her and Clarice stepped out of the way while they walked inside.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

"My house isn't large but I have a room where you can be comfortable, mes amies," Clarice said to the Doctor, Rose and Donna.

She led them through her house which was decorated with country items like cows and farmhouses. There was a lot of old and antique furniture, except in the living room where there was a hideaway sofa, a navy blue suede recliner, a cherry wood coffee table, cherry wood bookcases and a cherry wood stand with a TV on top of it. There was a brick fireplace at the back of the room and a fire crackled cheerfully inside it. Clarice led them past the living room and down a short hallway to the bathroom. The bathtub was black with matching black toilet and sink. A medicine cabinet was above the sink and the Doctor noticed it was open slightly as they entered the room. In between the toilet and the tub was a large expanse of wall with a silver towel rack hanging there. Clarice walked over to the towel rack, grabbed it and pulled down. There was a click and part of the wall opened up, revealing a hidden room behind the wall. They room was large and had two mattresses inside with sheets and blankets. In between the mattresses was a small nightstand with a wooden lamp on it and on the other side of the room were four high back wooden chairs.

"This is all I can offer you," Clarice said to everyone. "The men who will take you on to Reims will be here in a few days. They are careful when they travel and take their time so they're not captured. My house is open to you, of course, but this is where you'll sleep."

They thanked her and went inside the room. The walls were painted a soft lavender color and were unadorned. The Doctor examined the room and then had a thought.

"This is Calais?" he said to Clarice. "I though Calais was bigger than this? We only saw your house and a deserted road on the way here."

"My house is outside the city limits, Monsieur. Calais is to the east. But you might be disappointed if you go there."

"Oh? Why is that?" the Doctor said.

"Nothing much remains of the city. The Toclafane killed most of the people in the city and it's more like a ghost town now. Then the Master and his slaves came in and took what they needed for his construction projects, especially any metal or iron or steel. What he found there helped make that statue on the beach. Calais has lost its former glory but the Toclafane still patrol it. That's why you weren't taken directly to the city, Monsieur. They are always looking for refugees."

"And Paris?" Donna said.

"It is devastated as well and also Reims. France has suffered much since Saxon took over the Earth."

"I think the entire world fits that description," the Doctor said. "The Master killed one tenth of the population and more are dying each day in his labor camps. Not to mention he's executing rebels when he finds them. More and more people are dying every day and I fear more will die now that he's looking for us. You say that Calais is nearly depopulated? And Paris and Reims?"

"Oui."

"Then perhaps he's continuing his cleansing. Making sure he has just enough humans for a workforce but not enough to challenge him," the Doctor said

Clarice shrugged.

"I have no idea what he is doing. All I know is the ball monsters came down to France and destroyed almost everything. The country is in chaos now and people are frightened."

"And you've been getting them out?" Rose said.

"I have tried to help when I can. It is not much, this room, but it's all I can do."

"And we thank you for helping us," the Doctor said. "We'll try not to be a bother."

"It is no bother. I have some food in the kitchen if you're hungry," Clarice said.

"I'm starving," Donna said. "It's been a rough night."

"I will show you where the kitchen is then," Clarice said to them.

Rose put the sack of food on the nightstand by the lamp and followed Clarice out the door. The Doctor walked with Donna as she followed Rose.

"I'm glad you're hungry," the Doctor said softly to her while they walked. "You're thinner than I remember ya."

"Yeah, well, losing your family does wonders for weight loss," Donna said bitterly. "Most days I have to force myself to eat. And force myself to take another step. Being with you though, it did bring back my appetite and my hope. I wondered where ya went during all this. I hate that you and Rose were up there as his prisoners. And Rose married to that muppet and possibly bearing his children. It's sickening."

The Doctor put his hand on Donna's shoulder and she smiled at that and patted his hand. They walked into the kitchen and suddenly the Doctor's senses were on red alert as he looked around at the nearly spotless kitchen.

"Um…not meaning to pry," the Doctor said to Clarice. "But…I noticed that your house has no damage to it. If the Toclafane devastated Calais, why did they spare your house?"

"I made repairs since then, Monsieur."

The Doctor studied her and noticed her hesitant speech and shifting eyes. He stepped forward and she stepped away.

"You're lying to me," he said. "I hate when people lie to me. Tell me the truth, Clarice. Why is the house undamaged?"

"He gave me a new house in return for…"

"In return for what?" the Doctor said when she fell silent.

Clarice lowered her head and stared at the floor.

"I helped him, Monsieur," Clarice said. "I've been spying for him and I told him where some of the rebels were hiding. I also gave up some of the people who came here. Not all of them because that would look suspicious but every once in awhile I gave people to the Master to protect my life. And…"

She sighed bitterly.

"I gave my body to him as well, Monsieur," she said, looking at him with eyes pleading for understanding. "He has concubines and I was one of them. He gave me this house in return for my cooperation. That room in there…I can lock it and sleeping gas can come from the vent if I'm giving up people to him."

"And was that going to be our fate?" the Doctor said tersely as his eyes bored into hers.

"You are wanted, Monsieur. A great reward is offered for you and Madame Saxon. I was ordered to bring him any valuable people and you and she and Martha Jones are the most wanted out of all the rebels. Please understand, I'm in fear for my life!"

"So are many others and yet, they risk their lives to help others get to safety," the Doctor said angrily. "I understand your fear of the Master and I'm sorry he made you his concubine but giving up others to him to save your own skin is cowardice at its worst! The Master enjoys toying with others before killing them. He lets them live as long as they prove useful to him but once their usefulness is at an end…"

He pointed to Rose.

"This is his wife, his own wife, and she was drugged, hypnotized into submission and beaten when she resisted. If he does that to someone he marries, what makes you think he'll treat you any better?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do. I don't want to die," Clarice said, holding out her arms to him.

"I understand that but now you have blood on your hands. You may not have done the killing personally but you're still an accomplice to the death of innocents. And because of that, we can't trust you. So I'm afraid you're the one who'll have to spend time in the hidden room."

"No, please!" Clarice said.

She shivered at the cold look on the Doctor's face.

"What about the men? Are they coming to get us in a few days or was that a lie as well?" he growled at her.

"They are coming, I swear," Clarice said, suddenly realizing that the Doctor was a very powerful man in his own right and she had much to fear from him if she didn't cooperate. "In two days they will be here."

"And they will take us to Riems and not dump us off at the Master's feet?" the Doctor growled as he stepped closer to her.

"Oui, they will take you to Riems as promised."

"You'd better be right," the Doctor said.

Clarice swallowed hard at the icy look on the Doctor's face and the steely gaze he was leveling on her.

"Please, let me stay out here. I won't betray you, I swear. Don't lock me up," Clarice said.

"What say you, my friends? Shall we allow her to roam free after all she said," the Doctor said, turning to Rose and Donna who were both glaring at Clarice.

"I think we should lock her up," Donna said.

"I think we should lock her up as well and Harry with her since she's his whore apparently."

Rose shook her head and walked out of the room in a huff. The Doctor sighed angrily and told Clarice to go to the room. Clarice started to beg but the Doctor seized her arm and Clarice shut up when he saw there was restrained rage in his eyes. She meekly walked with the Doctor and he took her to the hidden room while Donna went to comfort Rose.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight

After making sure Clarice was secure inside the hidden room, the Doctor walked to the kitchen. He found Donna at a wooden kitchen table, lost in her thoughts. She looked up when he entered.

"She's in Clarice's bedroom crying," Donna said. "That bitch upset her badly."

"I'll handle it. Go ahead and try to find something to eat. I don't trust Clarice. She may have been lying about forgetting we were coming and told the Master. We need to go ahead and leg it, at least into Calais and hide for a couple of days in case there really is someone coming to get us. But for the moment, just relax and eat something. I'll go talk to Rose."

Donna nodded and the Doctor went to find Rose. He found Clarice's bedroom and slowly entered when he heard Rose crying softly. Clarice's bed was a brass four poster bed with a white blanket on it and matching white pillows. The Doctor moved towards the bed but Rose didn't notice him because she was lying on her stomach on the far side of the bed, her face buried in the blanket while she wept. The Doctor sat down beside her and Rose jerked her head up when she felt the extra weight. She tried to compose herself while the Doctor watched her in quiet pain.

"I'm sorry," Rose said, wiping her eyes. "It's just that…I'm tired of all these new revelations about my husband. Each one makes me feel less and less like a person and more like Kleenex. I just had to come in here and let some of my emotions out."

"There's no shame in that," the Doctor said, laying a hand on her damp cheek. "After all you've been through; I'm surprised you didn't do this sooner."

"I wonder if Harry was going to tell me any of this eventually. I s'pose it doesn't matter now, I know what he did and I feel like dog shit. He stole everything from me. He stole my body, my mind and he stole our time together. He ruined everything and I wish he was here right now so I could wring his fucking neck," she snarled.

She took a deep breath while the Doctor watched with silent anguish.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's useless to get angry, isn't it? What's done is done. Everything is turned upside down and I keep wondering how'll you sort it out."

"I will, Rose, I promise," the Doctor said, taking her hand.

"You've always been so kind to me," Rose said, rubbing the back of the hand. "You've never raised your voice or your hand to me. You're a Time Lord like Harry is but you're so different."

"In some ways, yes. But in other ways, he and I are the same."

Rose shook her head at that.

"No, you're far better than he is. You treat me and Donna with respect. We aren't just objects for you to use and abuse. You're wonderful and I hate that the only memories I have of our time together were loaned to me. I keep thinking what happens if you can't restore my timeline. What then?"

"Time can be rewritten," the Doctor said.

"You mean, just keep going with this timeline if I don't go back to my proper place?"

"We'll have to see what happens," the Doctor said. "Maybe you'll stay here or maybe you'll go back, but either way you'll land up with me and I know that'll suck," he teased her.

Rose smiled at that.

"No, my love, a future with you is about the most wonderful thing I can think of," she said.

The Doctor leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He started to pull away but Rose pulled his head back to hers and the Doctor snogged her. They lost themselves, fondling and kissing one another, and Rose realized that all her anxiety and anger was draining away as her love for the Doctor increased. They snogged for about twenty minutes before they slowed down and slowed to a stop. The Doctor moved his body so he was lying beside her and Rose turned so she was facing him and snuggled close to his body while the Doctor stroked her back. Rose breathed in his scent and closed her eyes while the Doctor kissed her temple and her cheek. For the moment, she lost herself and let her fears of the future briefly fade away while she basked in his love. Even when her husband pretended to love her, he was never this gentle, this loving and she realized what real love was like. She realized that getting angry about her husband's love affairs was the wrong thing to do. Who cared what strumpet Harry shagged when she had a wonderful man like this all to herself now.

_If you can cheat on me, Harry, I can do it as well,_ Rose thought as she kissed the Doctor's chin.

Rose snuggled up closer to the Doctor and he put his arm around her and laid his chin on top of her head.

"This can't last," the Doctor said, stroking her back while she listened.

"No, I want it to last. I want to be with you always," Rose said, looking up at him.

The Doctor smiled tenderly at that and stroked her cheek.

"No, I mean staying here can't last," he said while Rose relaxed. "I have a feeling Clarice informed the Master that we were coming. I think we need to move somewhere else, at least for a few days and then perhaps come back and see if the men do come."

"What about Clarice then?" Rose said.

"Don't know. We can't leave her here or she really will tell the Master," the Doctor said. "She might be intimidated by me now but that won't last if we leave. She might fear me but her fear of the Master is stronger and she'll do anything to stay on his good side."

"Take her with us?" Rose said.

She stroked his cheek while he thought that over.

"Perhaps for a bit so we can keep watch over her. If we meet members of the resistance, we can give her to them. I'm sure they'd be happy to have a spy like her out of their midst."

"Would they execute her though?"

The Doctor sighed.

"Dunno. Maybe. We have to do something with her. We can't let her run loose. She's not only putting us in danger but others as well. If we meet other rebels, I'll talk to them and persuade them to treat her humanely. She's scared and fear can make you do things you wouldn't normally do. If the Master wasn't breathing down her neck she probably wouldn't have turned anyone in. She seems like a nice woman, just a weak will. That's why I'm very selective when I choose who'll travel with me. Not everyone has what it takes to stay strong in the face of danger."

"And I did?"

The Doctor chuckled.

"Ma'dori, I'm shocked at you. You doubt yourself when you defied the Master and became a fugitive? You could have stayed at his side and pretended to be his loyal wife to save your own skin. But unlike Clarice, you chose to fight back and now you're in as much danger as I am. After all that, you dare to question whether you'd be worthy enough to travel with me?"

"It's just that you're the first person besides mum who ever made me feel worthy."

"Then listen to me and no one else. Because I've seen you in action and I've seen what you're capable of and you're more than worthy. You're a courageous, loving, strong woman and don't you ever forget that."

Rose smiled at that and kissed his lips. The Doctor lay with her for another hour, watching while she rested her reddened eyes and let her anger and sadness drain completely away. When she woke up, she was feeling better and refreshed from her nap. She smiled, seeing the Doctor's loving expression the moment she opened her eyes.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yes, much better."

"Good. Come with me then. I want to talk to Clarice and tell her what we're going to do."

Rose nodded. She gave the Doctor one last kiss on the lips before she sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The Doctor did the same after her and she took his hand as they left the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Jack entered the Master's office on the Valiant and prostrated himself before him while he sat at his desk.

"I am here, Master," he said, touching his forehead to the floor.

The Master stifled a snicker and commanded him to rise and stand at attention. Jack stood up and went rigid, waiting for orders, while the Master unlocked his top drawer, reached in and pulled out a small manila folder. He opened it up and found the sheet of paper he needed.

"I have here a report from one of my spies near Calais," the Master said to him. "According to her, the Doctor and Rose were going to her house. They're probably there now if this report is true. I wish you to go there and find them."

"Yes, Master," Jack said. "Kill on sight?"

The Master steepled his fingers while he considered that.

"No, bring them back to me alive if you can. If not, then yes, deadly force is allowed. But…only if you can't bring them back to me alive, is that clear?"

"Yes, Master."

"I want you to act normally around them. Make them believe you escaped from here and you found them. Try not to arouse suspicion so you can keep their trust. Once they are comfortable around you and an opportunity for capture arises, take them and bring them to me."

"Yes, Master."

"Go. I have made arrangements for your departure. A transmat beam will bring you down near the house."

"Yes, Master."

He started to leave when the Master stopped him.

"On second thought, I have another idea. Let's make you look a bit scruffy so you look more convincing," he said, rising from his chair.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine

When they left the bedroom, the Doctor stopped and sniffed the air.

"Blimey, that smells good," the Doctor said.

Rose sniffed the air with him and felt herself salivating at the smell of cooking beef. She shared a glance with the Doctor before they changed direction and headed back to the kitchen.

Donna smiled when they entered the kitchen. She was standing at the stove frying hamburgers in a cast iron skillet.

"I looked through the food and thought I'd keep it simple," Donna said as she turned one of the hamburgers with her spatula. "I made some for everyone and I have chips baking in the oven."

Rose suddenly felt hungry when she smelled the delicious aromas that were flooding her nostrils. The Doctor thanked her for cooking their meal and explained what he wanted to do.

"I wondered about her," Donna said as she turned another burger. "I think you're right. We can't keep her here alone, not if she's informing on everyone. I think the three of us could handle her. But before you go in there, eat. Let her sit there awhile and think about what she's done. Besides, she has that food George gave to us. She won't starve."

The Doctor nodded. He checked on the chips while Rose poked around in the fridge and pulled out some vegetables so she could make a side salad. They busied themselves with preparing the food, chatting while they worked.

"So…when did you become a medic?" the Doctor said to Donna while he pulled the milk out of the fridge. "You never told me you had medical training."

"I'm not a proper doctor," Donna said, going to the fridge to check for cheese. "I signed up for the medical squad to avoid going to the labor camps. I got a basic course in first aid through them and I used my knowledge of caring for granddad to supplement that. I assisted John and the others when we went out to the labor camps and they also taught me more about medicine. Not an expert but I know more than I did before the Toclafane attacked."

She grabbed some bread off the counter beside the fridge and took that along with a large slab of cheddar cheese and a tomato to the kitchen island. She sliced up the tomato while Rose peeled off some lettuce leaves for the hamburgers.

"So you've seen a lot of the labor camps then?" the Doctor said, pouring the milk into glasses.

"Not all of them. Mainly the ones in between London and Dover," Donna said as she finished slicing the tomato and put the slices into a bowl. "You and Rose didn't see how bad things are since you were in the back of the lorry but what Clarice said about Calais is the same between London and Dover. Towns are being emptied of people. Killing em or taking them for slave labor. London as well. Chiswick was shot up and most of our neighbors were killed. It's Hell on Earth here, Doctor."

"I know," the Doctor said, leaning on the counter once he poured the milk. "And if we don't stop the Master, other planets will suffer our fate."

Donna walked back to the skillet with a plate. She used the spatula and put three burgers on the plate before she turned off the burner and put the skillet on a cold one. She then checked on the chips. She examined them for a moment while they baked in the over before she plucked out a tiny one, blew on it and popped it in her mouth. Satisfied they were done; she grabbed a couple of pot holders and took it out of the oven. She put the baking pan on the cold part of the stove and the Doctor closed the over and brought another plate over to Donna. She used the spatula to put the chips on the plate and when she was done, she took it back over to the kitchen island. Everyone helped themselves to the burgers, chips, salad and milk, fixing it to their liking before taking everything over to the kitchen table.

Rose took a bite of her burger and tasted the greasy goodness in her mouth.

"This is good, Donna," Rose said.

"Thanks. I cooked for granddad on occasion so I've had a bit of practice. Besides, it's hard to muck up a burger."

"You miss your family?" Rose said to her.

"Like mad. Especially granddad. We were very close," Donna said. "He loved stargazing and I used to go up on the hill behind our house and sit for hours looking at the stars with him. He died quickly and mum and dad did as well, thank God. But still, it's hard being left behind."

"Tell me about it," the Doctor said. "I dealt with survivor's guilt for years after Gallifrey was lost."

"And Earth became your adoptive home, yeah?" Rose said. "And now you have to watch it being destroyed as well."

"Yes, except this time there'll be a different ending," the Doctor said with a determined look in his face. "I love Earth and I'm not about to lose it the way I lost Gallifrey."

He paused a moment and watched Rose eat a chip. Rose paused in mid chew when he chuckled.

"What?" she said through a mouthful of chip.

"Donna, it's a good thing you did fix this because Rose is a chip fiend. That's all she wanted when she traveled with me. Chips, chips, chips."

"I'm English," Rose teased. "Eating chips is in my blood just like drinking tea and having a pint."

"Aaah, yes," the Doctor sighed. "Used to get a nice pint of Jabwalla back on Gallifrey and relax after a long day."

"And what is that? Like lager?" Donna said.

"Sorta. Made from fermented berries, was delicious. But lager is good too," the Doctor said.

They finished their meal, put the leftovers back in the fridge and washed the dishes. When they were done, they decided to go and see Clarice.

"I just had a thought," the Doctor said as they headed for the bathroom. "We would have had to take her out to let her use the toilet. I pity those people who got locked up in the room until someone came to take them. Probably forced to urinate on the floor if she didn't allow them to use the loo."

They went into the bathroom and the Doctor used the sonic to unlock the hidden door. He jerked the towel rack down and Donna and Rose prepared themselves to fight Clarice if she tried to attack the Doctor. Instead, Clarice was sitting on the bed, her cheeks tear stained and her eyes red. She glared at the Doctor when they came into the room.

"What do you want?" she spat out.

"I want to tell you that we're leaving here. I still don't trust you. I think you told the Master we were coming, didn't you?"

Again, he studied her and saw the guilt pass over her face.

"You're coming with us," the Doctor said.

Clarice gave him a shocked look and the Doctor snorted.

"Give me a break. As if we'd leave you behind to betray us again," he said.

"I'm sorry for what I did," Clarice said.

"I'm sure you are but that doesn't mean we're gonna trust you automatically. You have to earn that trust back. In the meantime, we're going to leave here and hide and you're going to be watched carefully. Any sign of deception and I'll put you into a deep coma. If you help us, we'll allow you to stay with us. I give you my word that I'll protect you but only if you prove yourself trustworthy. If not, I give you up to the rebels the first time we see any and let them decide what to do with you. So, your decision, Clarice. What will you do, help us or help him?"

"I want to help," Clarice said.

The Doctor studied her face but he couldn't detect any deception this time.

"Then we'll leave in a few hours," the Doctor said gently, hoping to gain her trust. "Once we reach Calais, we need to find a department store. Do you know where one is?"

"Oui."

"Good. I need some electronic parts along with a few other things. We need to make a few things that'll protect us from the Master and his minions. I just hope the shops haven't been looted dry. Anyway, do you need to use the toilet?"

Clarice nodded and Rose and Donna stepped out of the room when the Doctor told her to get up and use it. Rose and Donna left the bathroom and shut the door while the Doctor waited in the bathroom, his back turned to give Clarice some privacy while she used the toilet.

"I hope the Doctor knows what he's doing," Donna said to Rose as they headed back to the living room. "I don't trust that woman."

"I don't either but I'd rather have her with us than leave her here to tell everyone where we're going," Rose said. "Maybe she'll help us out now that the Doctor is here. I think the Doctor's right. I think she's a nice woman, she's just a bit of a coward."

"Well, can't fault her for that," Donna said. "I became a medic rather than suffer like the rest of the slaves. I just hope the Doctor finds what he needs so he can protect us all. I'm assuming he's making more of those key things."

"I think so," Rose said. "Now he needs to make two, one for you and one for her."

They settled down on the sofa, slumped back and relaxed. Donna stared at the TV and on a whim, grabbed the remote and turned it on. She flipped through the channels but there wasn't anything on.

"I doubt you'll find anything, Donna. I don't think Harry cares if people can't watch Coronation Street now," Rose said.

Donna tried one more channel and this time the black screen was replaced by a news channel. Donna and Rose leaned up and watched while photos of her and the Doctor were displayed along with warnings that they were dangerous criminals and must be apprehended on sight. Rose smirked when she saw the photo of the Doctor. It was him in his aged state.

"Is that what the Doctor looked like as an old man?" Donna said.

"Yeah," Rose said.

"Love the liver spots," Donna quipped.

Rose chuckled at that.

"They've been showing him like this and now he's young again so perhaps if he's spotted, people won't know him," Rose said.

"But that leaves you," Donna said.

"I know. The Doctor's gonna help me alter my appearance. Dye my hair and cut it so I won't be quite as recognizable. I…"

She trailed off when Jack's photo flashed on the screen. She called for the Doctor when she saw the alert that he had escaped and was on the loose.

"Doctor, Jack escaped!" Rose called back.

The Doctor came into the living room with Clarice and looked at the screen. The alert was now for Martha though so he looked at Rose and asked her what they said.

"They said he just escaped and he's at large," Rose said.

"Can't you get a message to him somehow?" Donna said.

"I don't know how. I don't even know where he went. Now we have him and Martha to worry about. I'm not that worried about Jack though since he's immortal. But if he escaped…that's another one out there working against the Master. I…"

He trailed off when they flashed the photos of Rose and the Doctor again with the same alert at before.

"And Harry still thinks you're an old man," Rose said, pointing to the screen.

"Yes, but…that's you…Clarice, you have a pair of scissors?"

"Oui."

"We'll cut your hair here and get some hair dye when we go to Calais. Could you show me where the scissors are at?" he asked Clarice.

Clarice nodded and the Doctor followed her out of the room. Donna grinned and nudged her friend.

"Purple. Get your hair dyed purple," she teased.

Rose snorted.

"No thanks, I don't wanna be a punker," she said. "Besides, I think the purple hair would make me stand out even more. Ugh, I s'pose that's the only thing showing on this channel is these alerts because they're back to Martha again."

"Yeah, just checking to see if there was anything on the telly," Donna said, switching it off.

The Doctor came back into the room with Clarice. Clarice settled down in a chair near the sofa and picked up a book while the Doctor took the small scissors she had given him and asked Rose to follow him into the kitchen. Clarice glanced at the Doctor when he left the room with Rose and then glanced at Donna.

"Don't…try…it," Donna growled at her.

Clarice sighed and turned her attention back to her book. Donna studied her and decided to take a cue from the Doctor and try to gain her trust. She asked Clarice a few questions which led to them chatting about each other's lives. While they talked, Donna realized that she really was a nice woman, just someone put in a bad situation. She hoped she really was going to help them now.

While they talked, the Doctor and Rose came back into the room. Rose's hair had gone from hanging down to the middle of her back to a bob that came down to her jawline.

"Wow, you look good," Donna said while Clarice nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," Rose said. "I hope we can find some hair dye but at least my hairstyle is different now."

She went and sat down beside Donna while the Doctor passed the scissors back to Clarice. Clarice put them on the table beside her and the Doctor walked over to another chair and settled into it. Donna resumed her chat with Clarice and Rose and the Doctor listened for awhile before joining in.

"My parents were killed in a car crash when I was young," Clarice told them. "I was raised in a Catholic orphanage until I was 18. I went to university and was studying to be a nurse but a man told me I would be a great model and I dropped out to do modeling. I was successful enough to afford this farm. That's what I was doing when the Toclafane attacked me. I've tried to keep the farm going but I have cows and it's expensive to keep them. I thought about selling them but I figured I might keep them and slaughter them just in case times get really rough. If we're leaving now, they might die. Might as well let them go free and let them wander so at least they have a chance."

"I think they'd have as much chance as the humans around here," the Doctor said. "With the Master in charge, every life form has to fend for themselves."

Everyone fell silent when they heard a knock at the door.

"Clarice, were you expecting someone today?" the Doctor said.

Clarice shook her head.

"You told the Master we were here, right? Tell me the truth, I won't get mad."

Clarice looked at the floor and nodded sadly. The Doctor told the women to stay put while he went to investigate. Clarice picked up the scissors, got up and handed them to Donna.

"Just in case," she whispered. "You take them so you know I won't betray you."

"Thanks," Donna whispered back.

Clarice sat back down but a moment later, the Doctor called for everyone to come to the door.

"It's okay, no need to worry," he called out. "Jack's found us!"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

"Jack, are you alright?" Rose said.

"A little worse for wear but otherwise, I'm fine," Jack said.

The Doctor was happy to see his friend although he was puzzled as to how he found them. Jack had a black eye and he'd been roughed up a bit. When the Doctor asked him what happened, Jack shrugged.

"The Master was giving his soldiers orders because he'd found you and he was going to send them here to take you through a transmat beam. I overheard him and managed to sweet talk my guards into letting me free so I could pee. When they released me, I hit them and knocked them both out. I battled my way to the transmat room. The Master already had the coordinates locked in so I used it. I found myself about a half mile from here and as this was the only house around, I figured I'd take my chances and come here. Glad I did."

"So, the Master is coming?" Rose said.

"Maybe. I managed to elude everyone before coming to the transmat room. They might still be looking for me on the Valiant." Jack said.

"Yes, but if they know we're here, they won't be long in coming. We have to leave now," the Doctor said. "Come in and help us get ready."

Jack nodded.

"Have you heard from Martha or found a way to contact her?" he asked everyone as he followed them inside.

"Not yet, we just got here several hours ago," the Doctor said. "What about Martha's family?"

"Still being tortured and enslaved. I tried to take them with me but they were too well guarded. I figured I could do more good down here so I went ahead and escaped."

The Doctor introduced Jack to Donna and Clarice. Jack nodded hello and followed the Doctor into the bathroom. They went into the hidden room and Jack looked around and let out a low whistle.

"Wow, this is handy," Jack said to Clarice. "Did you have it built for smuggling people or was it here already?"

"It came with the house when I bought it. I think it was used to hide nobles during the French Revolution. Or at least that's what the agents told me."

The Doctor noticed the bag of food was still on the table, untouched. He took it and handed it to Rose. They gathered a few meager supplies, packing light so they could move quickly. When they were finished, they went outside. Clarice walked over to the fence and opened the gate wide so the cows could roam free.

"Good luck," she said to the cows while they ate and lowed softly. "I have a feeling I won't see you again. I don't think I'll ever return to this house."

"Um, isn't that a bit extreme?" Jack said, pointing to the statue. "I made my way here and didn't look back in case someone was following. I didn't see that thing until now."

"It's the Master's way of saying welcome to France," the Doctor said. "He's the ambassador for the world now."

"Some ambassador," Jack said with a snort. "He's not doing a very good job since he's killing everyone in sight."

Suddenly, the Doctor shushed everyone up when he spied a Toclafane on the horizon. Donna hurried and got beside Clarice and whispered to her that she was a medic and she was her patient. The Doctor and Rose stood completely still with Jack as the Toclafane zoomed up. The Doctor watched while Donna showed her ID to the orb and explained she was a doctor and Clarice was her patient. The Doctor glanced at Jack and looked at his chest. He wasn't wearing a filter but the Toclafane seemed to take no notice of him even though he was a wanted fugitive. His eyes narrowed since the Toclafane was interrogating both Donna and Clarice but not him. Like Clarice, red flags had been going off in his mind since Jack showed up. He looked out towards the beach in search of the Master or any soldiers but there was nothing.

_The Master isn't stupid, he would have figured out where Jack went if they couldn't find him_, he thought. _And there was that tin Rose used to let Jack urinate. I suspect that's the usual method so why would the guards suddenly agree to let him go to the loo? _

Jack's voice also had an odd inflection to it, like an emotionless man who was trying to show some emotion. He watched while the Toclafane finished the interrogation and flew off. Once the orb was out of sight, everyone relaxed. The Doctor looked at Rose when she tugged on his jacket sleeve and she looked towards the house, silently indicating she wanted him to follow her. The Doctor excused himself and Rose, telling everyone that they needed to do one more check before they left. As they walked away, the Doctor noticed a few of the cows had found the open gate and were now casually strolling through it in search of better grass.

Rose pulled him into the house and shut the door.

"The Toclafane said nothing to Jack," she said.

"I know, I saw that too," the Doctor replied.

"Why? Harry has an alert on him now. Surely he told his minions to keep an eye out for him."

"Rose, I think Jack has been hypnotized. I think he was sent here to spy on us. He found us too fast for my liking and his voice has this odd robotic tinge to it."

"Oh God," Rose said. "What do we do?"

"I'll deal with him. I've been waiting for soldiers to show up and as you can see, not a one has appeared. The Toclafane might have been told he was part of the Master's retinue and to leave him alone. I 'm sure the Master didn't count on one of his pets interrogating us so soon."

"Can you undo what he did? I mean, after me, he might have done something different to enslave him."

"Yes, but I know most of the Master's methods. He doesn't deviate that much from his usual MO. If not…we do what we threated to do to Clarice and put him in a coma. I don't want to do that though since that means he'd be dead weight for us."

He jerked his head towards the door when he heard Donna calling for help. He glanced at Rose and they hurried outside. The Doctor let out an angry sigh when he saw Jack holding Donna and Clarice at gunpoint.

"I knew you weren't yourself, Harkness," the Doctor said. "Rose sensed it as well."

"Bravo!" Jack said. "Now…surrender yourself, both of you, or Donna and Clarice die! If you don't come quietly, I will shoot to kill."

"Jack, you can't do this," Rose said. "Please, fight Harry's mind control. You're better than this."

"What mind control? I work for the Master willingly."

The Doctor snorted.

"Sure, you do, Harkness," he said.

"My name is Assassin Delta. Now. Will all of you come quietly or do these two die?"

Jack frowned when he sensed something behind him. He turned and saw one of the cows had come up to him and was eating some grass at his feet.

_Ma'dori, get back inside the house now,_ the Doctor thought to Rose before he ran towards his friend.

Rose went back inside as Jack turned and saw the Doctor running towards him. He raised his gun but the Doctor whipped out his sonic and jammed it. The Doctor yelled at Clarice and Donna to run while Jack kept pulling the trigger. He growled, adjusted his grip on the gun and rushed towards the Doctor, intending to use the butt of the gun to bring him down. The two men collided and the Doctor grabbed his wrist and squeezed it, trying to get Jack to drop the gun while he tried to trip him up. Jack tried to throw a punch with his free arm but the Doctor grabbed his arm and tried to get Jack up against the fence.

"I'm gonna kill you, you alien son of a bitch!" Jack snarled at the Doctor while he tried to break free of his grip. "The Master will make you and Rose suffer! The Master is supreme and…"

Jack grunted and his eyes rolled back in his head when Clarice hit him hard on the back of the head with a two by four. The Doctor let go and let Jack fall dazed to the ground.

"No, stop!" the Doctor said when Clarice raised the board above her head so she could strike him again. "He's with us, he's just been brainwashed. I can help him."

Clarice lowered the board and stepped back while the Doctor knelt beside Jack. He put his fingers on Jack's temples and sent him into a deep sleep. He breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. He looked around and noticed Donna was standing just inside the barn door, watching him. He beckoned to her and Donna came out. He called for Rose and she came out of the house. The Doctor knelt down and started to search his clothes and body for bugs or homing devices. The others assisted him but they found nothing.

"The Master's arrogance. He's assuming Jack is completely in his power so there's no need to track him," the Doctor said.

"Can you help him?" Rose said.

"Yes, but it'll take time. Everyone, help get him back inside and out of sight. If anyone else shows up, we can defend ourselves better inside the house."

The four of them grabbed Jack and lifted him up. They carried him to the open door and carried him to Clarice's bedroom. They laid him on the bed and the Doctor told them to wait while he tried to undo what the Master did. The women left him alone and the Doctor sighed while he stared at his unconscious friend for a moment and then he got to work probing his mind, trying to undo the conditioning.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

The Doctor worked as quickly as he could to dismantle what the Master did to his friend, gritting his teeth in frustration when he saw all the various barriers in place to Jack's mind and the complicated conditioning.

"You put up a good fight, my friend, because the Master had to use every trick in the book to enslave you," he murmured as he studied Jack's mind. "It'll take awhile to undo all of this."

"Do we have that kind of time?"

The Doctor opened his eyes and saw Rose standing at the door. He took his fingers away and rested.

"Jack has a strong mind; the Master used just about every hypnotic method he knew to subjugate him. Not to mention, he's blocked portions of his mind. I don't know if we have that kind of time but we'll have to trust that the Master will let Jack try to bring us in first before sending anyone else."

"Do you want some tea while you work?"

The Doctor smiled and shook his head.

"No, I'll have some afterwards. I want to keep my full attention on the task at hand," he said.

"Clarice was the one who saved you," Rose said.

"I noticed that. I owe her my thanks."

"When you went to the door, she took the scissors and gave them to Donna to show she wasn't going to turn on us," Rose said.

"She's a good person. I'm glad she's trying to prove herself to us. Makes me trust her that much more."

"Me too. I'll let you work though. Just let us know if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks."

Rose smiled and left the room. The Doctor sighed and glanced at Jack before he shifted his body and put his fingers back on Jack's temples.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The Master paced back and forth in his office. It'd been a few hours since he sent Jack off to capture the Doctor and Rose and he was growing impatient. He summoned one of the Toclafane and the orb appeared just above his head.

"I want one of you to go and check on the house outside Calais to make sure that Harkness is there," he said to it.

"One of us already has. He is there, sir, with the rebels."

"Good," the Master said. "At least I know he's managed to infiltrate them."

"There were more people there besides the Doctor, Mrs. Saxon and Harkness, sir."

"Oh? Who?"

"A young woman with long, blonde hair was there."

"Oh her? That's Clarice, she owns the house," the Master said dismissively.

"There was also a woman called Donna Noble there, sir. She was part of the medical squad. She said the blonde woman was sick and she was taking care of her."

"Donna Noble? Why does that name sound so…"

Then he remembered the name. When he looked at the Doctor's datafiles, he saw a red haired woman inside the TARDIS just after the Doctor's last communication to Rose. She was called Donna Noble.

"This Donna Noble is another companion of the Doctor," the Master said. "She joined him after Rose left. She is one of his assistants."

"What do we do, sir?" the Toclafane said.

The Master drummed out the four part beat on his desk while he thought. The Toclafane drew near to his master.

"Sir?" he said.

"Thinking," the Master said testily. "I don't want to give Harkness away, at least not yet. Keep an eye on them though…discretely. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

The Master clenched his fist when the orb disappeared.

"So, Doctor, you're gathering your followers around you now? Well, perhaps I can find more of your beloved helpers before you can. I know several who may still be on Earth if my Toclafane haven't killed them. If I gather them up and lock them away here, perhaps I can use them and the threat of their deaths to get you to surrender yourself, Rose and Donna to me."

XOXOXOXOXOX

The Doctor rested after a couple of hours. He was nearly finished but the strain of undoing everything the Master had done to Jack was beginning to tire him and he had to take a break. He smiled when he heard the women laughing in the living room. He was glad they were all getting along so well. He was drawn by the sound of their laughter and he rose and went into the living room to rest for a moment.

"Is he alright?" Donna said when the Doctor came into the living room.

"I'm nearly finished, I just had to rest a moment because the mind control was extremely complicated and it's taking all I have just to undo it."

"We put a kettle on. It's on the stove," Rose said.

"Thank you, I will have a cuppa now," the Doctor said.

He went into the kitchen and found an extra cup for him on the kitchen island. He poured some tea and put some milk in it. He stirred it and went back into the living room.

"No soldiers knocking at the door?" the Doctor said, settling down into a chair beside Clarice.

"Nope, nothing," Donna said. "Been quiet. We've been chatting while you worked on Jack."

"I heard that. I'm glad you are becoming friends. That's what I like to see," the Doctor said.

"Me too?" Clarice said.

"You too, what?" the Doctor said to her.

"I'm a friend?" Clarice said.

"Well, Rose said you gave the scissors to Donna when I was at the door to show you weren't going to turn on us and you saved me from Jack…so yes, you're a friend."

Clarice smiled at that, happy that they were beginning to trust her now. The Doctor chatted with the women while he finished his tea. When he downed the last gulp, he excused himself and went back to work on Jack. It took him another two hours before the last barrier on Jack's mind was broken and the Doctor sat back, exhausted. He called to his friends to come into the bedroom.

"I think it's done," the Doctor said to them when they came into the room. "I got everything I could see. Jack should be himself again. I'm knackered though. The Master made sure he could be controlled, that's for damn sure. Anyway, here goes nothing…"

The Doctor put his fingertips on Jack's temples and brought him up out of his coma. He took his fingers away when Jack opened his eyes. The women tensed when Jack looked around the room. Jack sat up and looked around.

"Where am I?" he said to the Doctor. "How'd I get here?"

"Long story. But you were brainwashed by the Master to come and get us or kill us. You said your name was Assassin Delta."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Sounds like he picked the name out of a comic book," he said. "Why does my eye hurt?"

He felt his swollen eye and groaned.

"Shit, he clocked me," Jack said. "Damn him!"

He looked at the Doctor.

"You're young again."

"Lazlabs. We went back to the lab where Lazarus had his technology and I used his machine to make myself young again."

"Good, I was tired of the grandpa look," Jack said. "And I see Blondie has a new look. I like it. Now, who are you?" he said to Clarice and Donna.

"I am Clarice, we met," Clarice said, confused.

"He wasn't himself," the Doctor said to her. "The Master created a new persona for him and it was that persona that met you. When I took that all away, the real Jack came back and that's why he doesn't remember meeting you."

"Sorry, normally I would remember a beautiful woman like you…and you," he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and getting up.

Clarice and Donna reintroduced themselves and Jack nodded a hello as he shook their hands. Clarice offered Jack some tea and Jack smiled as he took her up on her offer. Rose watched while Jack followed Clarice and Donna out the door before she walked over to the Doctor.

"I'm spent, took all I had to erase what the Master did. I keep tellin' ya that he's very powerful and he is, so don't feel bad that you fell under his power because Jack suffered the same fate."

"Will you be alright?" Rose asked.

"I will once I rest."

"Then please rest," Rose said, laying her hand on his cheek. "I know you said you don't sleep much but whatever happens here, we can handle it, especially if Jack is here. Please have a lie down so you can get your energy back."

The Doctor nodded and she kissed his forehead and murmured her love for him. The Doctor kissed the back of his hand and when she left the room, he lay down on the bed, closed his eyes and went into a deep meditative state that would allow him to get his energy back.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

While the Doctor meditated, Jack got to know Clarice and Donna better and got up to date on what was happening. While they chatted, the sky began to grow dark and storm clouds began to form.

"Looks like a storm is coming," Donna said. "Glad it waited until we were inside this house and not out on the ocean."

She looked at Jack. He was sitting in the chair beside Clarice, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about calling Martha," Jack said.

"The Doctor said that was dangerous," Rose said.

"The Master knows we're here. We have to move to safety anyway. Martha has the vortex manipulator. If we can get her back here, we can use it to really get away from him, not just move slowly inch by inch towards Riems. We might as well risk it. You risked your lives by allowing me to stay with you."

"Should we ask the Doctor about this?" Rose said.

"Leave him alone. He'd agree with me, I won't make it very long, just long enough to tell her to get her butt back here," Jack said, pulling out his mobile. "Luckily, Martha and I exchanged phone numbers on Malcassairo after we became friends. I'll just give her a friendly little jingle now."

Jack found Martha's phone number in his address book and selected it. He glanced out the window while he waited to speak with her and noticed lightning flashes in the distance.

XOXOXOXOXO

Martha strolled the streets of Beijing looking up at the unlit neon signs of the buildings around her. The neon signs were blacked out on purpose to keep the Toclafane from being drawn to them. The streetlights were kept on though and Martha was using them to navigate by. It was early morning and there was a slight chill in the air but Martha ignored it. She felt so lonely, it'd been a couple of months since she left the Valiant and she had used the manipulator to hop around, trying to hide from the Master. Because of that, she couldn't speak to anyone or trust them and she was bored with being by herself. She wondered if her friends were alive, especially the Doctor. Poor Doctor, who'd been aged. She'd seen alerts for him on the TV, him and Rose as well as herself. He looked haggard in the photo and her heart went out to him.

She froze when a sound she hadn't heard in nearly two months came from her coat pocket. She looked down, listening to her mobile, wondering if she should answer it. She debated it for a moment before deciding that she might as well. If the Master was pinpointing her location, she could ditch the phone and use the manipulator to leave. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her mobile and answered it.

"Martha!"

"Jack! Oh my God, it's you! Are you okay? What's happening?" Martha said.

"I can't speak for very long. Listen, everyone has escaped the Valiant except for your family. The Doctor, Rose and me are at this house along with a woman named Donna and another woman named Clarice. The Master brainwashed me and sent me after the Doctor so he knows we're here. We need to get away from here quickly and I risked this phone call to tell you to get back here with the manipulator so we can get far away from France."

"France?" Martha said.

"Yes, we're just outside Calais. Clarice, what is the address here?" Jack said.

Martha heard a woman speak and Jack gave her the address and quickly translated that into coordinates for her. Martha, eager to be with her friends, inputted the coordinates while he spoke and told Jack she was coming."

"Great, look for you then!" Jack said. "Bye!"

"Bye," Martha said, barely containing her excitement.

She put the mobile back in the pocket after ending the call.

"Take me to them!" Martha said to herself before hitting the enter button.

She vanished in a flash of light and when the manipulator stopped, she was standing in front of a farmhouse while thunder crashed over her head. The door opened and Martha let out a cry of relief and ran at Jack who laughed and opened his arms.

"Martha!" he said, hugging her tightly.

"Oh God, I missed you!" Martha said.

"Back at ya, Jonsey!" Jack said.

Martha heard a mooing behind her and turned her head. She saw a cow wandering around the front yard, nibbling at grass.

"They believe in free range here?" Martha said to Jack.

"Long story, but come inside, there's a thunderstorm brewing. We can talk over a cup of tea and perhaps a meal for you?"

"Lead on, I'm so hungry!"

"Thought so, come inside then," Jack said, taking her hand and walking inside the house with her.

XOXOXOXOXO

The Doctor brought himself back up out of his meditation. He breathed deeply, feeling his energy replenished. He lay in bed for a moment collecting his thoughts and then he raised his head when he heard thunder booming outside the house. By now, the sun was going down and the room was dark. He sat up and swung his legs over the side. He got up and was about to think to Rose that he was awake when suddenly he heard a sound he hadn't heard in two months.

"Martha?" he said when he heard her laughing and joking in the living room.

He ran into the living room and froze when he saw Martha sitting on the floor by the sofa.

"Doctor!" Martha said, getting up.

"Martha! How did you find us?" he said, running to her and embracing her.

Martha explained what happened and showed him the manipulator.

"Normally, I would have skinned Jack alive for doing this but he's right. The Master knows we're here but thanks to this, we can travel far away from him and hide while we come up with a plan," the Doctor said.

He looked out the window at the storm. The cows wandered the front lawn eating the grass while the lighting lit up the clouds and the thunder boomed.

"Good job that didn't happen last night," the Doctor said.

"That's what I said," Donna said. "I made some more burgers and chips for everyone. Sorry for the repeat but no one felt like cooking, really."

"Perfectly fine, I can handle that," the Doctor said, going into the kitchen.

Jack gasped when a lightning bolt hit close to the house, causing the cows to scatter.

"Whoa! This is one intense storm!" Jack said, looking out the window.

"Well, get away from the window then, idiot, before something strikes you!" Donna said.

"Nah, I'd just get up again," Jack said, grinning at her.

He turned his attention back to the window and noticed a lone Toclafane was approaching the house.

"And one of the Master's little friends is paying a call on us, apparently," Jack said grimly.

Suddenly, there was another lightning flash and Jack saw it hit the Toclafane before the light became too intense. He shielded his eyes and turned away as the thunderboom shook the house.

"Whoa, that was close," the Doctor said from the kitchen. "Like I said, glad this didn't happen last night."

"Guys, look," Jack said, pointing out the window.

XOXOXOXOX

The Doctor finished putting condiments on his burger and shoveling some of the chips onto his plate. He grinned, hungry since he spent most of his energy helping Jack.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor turned and smiled at Rose when she came into the room.

"Ma'dori, everyone is together and we can use the manipulator to travel. We don't have to walk," he said happily.

Rose nodded and smiled.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"That last lightning strike brought down one of the Toclafane. It's lying in the garden and it hasn't moved in about five minutes. Doctor, I think it's dead."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

The Doctor walked over to the window and looked at the spot Jack was pointing to. Whenever the lightning flashed, he could just make out the Toclafane lying inert in the front yard. He ran back to the hidden room, grabbed the blanket and ran to the front door. Everyone watched at the window while the Doctor ran through the storm to the orb.

He stopped right beside it and gingerly put his foot against it. He kicked it and it rolled a foot across the grass. The Doctor studied it but it didn't move. Deciding to take a chance, he wrapped the orb up in the blanket and carried it back into the house. Everyone gathered around him while he lay the damp blanket on the kitchen table.

"Be careful, this thing might be stunned," he said to everyone.

He uncovered the orb and they waited for any movement from it. The Doctor poked it and then poked it harder.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor!" he yelled at it.

He shrugged when nothing happened and pulled his sonic screwdriver out.

"Okay, now that we have one of these things in our possession, let's find out what it is," he said.

He turned his sonic on and everyone jumped back when the orb snapped open like a flower. There were three metal panels that lay open, letting everyone see inside. Everyone came close to the orb and peeked in.

"Oh my God," Martha said when they saw a disfigured brown face at the bottom of the orb.

Wires and circuitry were hooked up to the face. It's eyes were closed and it had a peaceful look on its face.

"So these things are like Daleks?" Jack said. "Little ugly beings inside an armored shell?"

"Seems so," the Doctor said. "This thing comes from the year 100 trillion. This is a being from the future. Isn't that brilliant?"

They gasped when the eyes of the creature suddenly snapped open. Jack pulled out his gun and aimed it at the face while it looked around. When the ball didn't move, everyone tiptoed back up to the orb and looked at the face.

"Who are you? Name your species," the Doctor said.

The eyes settled on Martha Jones.

"Martha!" it said.

Martha jerked her head back in shock while everyone looked at her.

"Friend of yours?" Jack said.

"I don't know any of these Toclafane things," Martha said.

"Dear sweet Martha Jones, you helped us to fly," the Toclafane said.

"What? Who are you?"

"The skies are made of diamonds."

Martha staggered back.

"What's the mean?" Jack said, grabbing her arm when Martha paled.

"When we first got to that base on Malcassairo, there was a little boy there called Creet. I talked to him and he said he was excited about going to Utopia because he said he heard the skies were made of diamonds. But this can't be him. He was a little boy, not a face in a ball."

"Is your name Creet?" the Doctor said.

"No," the Toclafane said.

"Then how do you know Martha?"

"We share each other's memories," the Toclafane said.

"What? Creet can't be one of you," Martha said.

The Doctor stepped back, a sickly feeling beginning in the pit of his stomach.

"What happened to all of you?" Jack said. "Are you the humans going to Utopia?"

"Yes," the Toclafane said.

"How did you end up looking like this?" the Doctor demanded. "What happened to you?"

"We became like this in order to survive the end. Utopia was a lie; there was no Utopia, only the end of all things. We wanted to survive so we became like this."

The Doctor glanced at Clarice and noticed she was dumbfounded.

"These are humans from the future," the Doctor said to her. "We went to the end of the universe. The last of the humans were trying to go to a place called Utopia but they didn't find it evidentially and to survive the end of the universe, they turned themselves into these things."

"But why did they come here to kill everyone?" Clarice said.

"Yes, why did you come here to destroy the Earth?"

"Because the Master asked us to."

"Why did you listen to him?" the Doctor said.

"Because the Master promised to take us away from the darkness and bring us here to an Earth that isn't destroyed. In return, we help him establish a new Gallifrey here."

The Doctor cursed at that.

"So, that's part of his plan," he said. "He wants to make a new Gallifrey and rule from here. He's going to conquer the universe and that's why he building all these missiles. He'll subjugate every planet he can get his hands on."

"And we'll travel through the universe, helping him do that," the Toclafane said happily.

"He built the paradox machine because without it these things can't exist here," the Doctor said. "Without the paradox machine they would cancel themselves out whenever they killed a modern day human. The paradox machine suspends that and allows them to kill without fear of obliteration."

"But why are you killing the humans?" Rose said.

"Because it's fun!" the Toclafane said before a maniacal laugh escaped from his throat. "And now, all of you will die!"

"I think not," Jack said, aiming his gun at the face.

Before the Doctor could stop him, he shot the face, killing it.

"Jack!" the Doctor said.

"Doctor, that thing wasn't human anymore. It was just a homicidal abomination. I know you don't like unnecessary killing but it would have killed us if I hadn't done anything."

"Just the same, it wasn't this person's fault," the Doctor said sadly. "He was deceived by the Master and used by him for his own selfish ends. However…perhaps this Toclafane can help us further. Perhaps I can find a way to use this technology to disable any other Toclafane we come across. But for the moment…"

He closed up the Toclafane and put the blanket over it.

"We need to get going. The Toclafane share memories and since this one has seen us and told us what it was, the others will know as well. Not to mention I'm willing to bet they felt it die. So everyone get what you need, use the loo and say your final goodbyes to this place because we're on our way!"


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

The Master downed a glass of brandy while he watched his laptop and perused the videos on You Tube. He had shut down the internet for the entire Earth, except for him. He was fascinated by the different videos the humans had uploaded and watched them whenever he had spare time. He saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye and glanced up at the Toclafane hovering above him.

"You oughta see the sorts of things your ancestors put on the internet. I'm quite addicted to the Peanut Butter Jelly Time song; it's annoying but catchy at the same time. No wonder the Doctor find these apes so fascinating."

"Sir, one of us was captured by the Doctor," the Toclafane said.

The Master was pouring himself another brandy when he heard that. He stopped and put the decanter down, raising his eyebrow while his brain processed what the Toclafane just said.

"I'm sorry? The Doctor captured one of you, is that what you just said?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay, how?"

"Lightning hit one of us outside the Calais house. The Toclafane was brought down and stunned. The Doctor brought it into the house and interrogated it."

"Show me. Show me footage of them!" the Master said.

A door slid open in the side of the orb and the Toclafane projected a hologram for him. The Master's eyes bugged out when he saw the Doctor.

"He's young again? How the hell did that happen?" the Master said, pointing to the holographic Doctor.

"No idea, Sir."

"He's young! Damn him! I thought the old codger was stumbling his way around France!"

He suddenly had a thought and he groaned.

"Damn him! Lazlabs! He found it and used the machine then! I should have destroyed it when I had the chance. And I notice Harkness is in the midst of them instead of rounding them up. And…it seems my concubine is also helping them. I do hate it when employees mutiny. Toclafane, order an attack on the house, obliterate it and everyone inside. And make sure Harkness is chopped into such a fine powder that he won't come back. Do it now!"

"Consider it done, Sir."

The hologram disappeared along with the Toclafane. The Master plopped down in his chair and sighed angrily.

"Damn you, Doctor! You are the bane of my entire fucking existence!" he growled before he picked up the decanter.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!" the Toclafane chanted as they dived down from the heavens towards Clarice's house.

The cows were annihilated as the Toclafane began firing indiscriminately. They smashed through the windows and flew through the house, searching for their prey. But the house was deserted. The Toclafane flew outside and searched the barn and shed but there was no there. The orbs assembled in the yard after making a thorough search.

"They are gone," one of them said to the others. "No sign of Doctor or companions. They have left."

"We must find them. They must be stopped," a female Toclafane said.

The orbs flew back up into the air and spread out over the French countryside and Calais, searching for their prey.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

(Los Angeles, California…)

Rose gasped and staggered the moment the manipulator landed them in the middle of downtown LA. She felt dizzy and she gripped the side of an office building until she could get her equilibrium back. She glanced back over her shoulder and noticed the others had been affected too.

"What was that?" Donna said as she sat down on an iron bench near the building.

"That was a vortex manipulator," the Doctor said. "Sorry everyone, they're a bit rough since you have to travel without a capsule."

"Where are we?" Clarice said, looking around.

"Los Angeles," Jack said. "I figured Europe was a bad idea. Actually, this is a bad idea too since it's a major city but you said you needed electronic parts," he said to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded. After everyone got over their dizziness, they went off in search of parts. The streets were nearly deserted with the exception of several scruffy homeless people scavenging for food and supplies. They turned their attention to the Doctor and his friends, looking at them with interest but they turned away when the Doctor shot them a warning look. Some of the buildings they passed by had scorch marks on the facades and broken windows. They could see evidence of looting. The sidewalks were filled with trash and broken glass and there were abandoned cars all over the road. In some of the cars, they saw decomposing bodies and the Doctor clenched his jaw when they passed by an SUV and they saw the remains of a little blonde girl sitting inside it with her mother in the driver's seat. There were predators everywhere. Wild dogs roamed the streets while carrion birds feasted on the remains of the dead.

"Looks like a war zone," Rose said.

"I saw this over and over while I hopped around the Earth," Martha said. "It's like this all over the place."

They found a Radio Shack and stopped. The glass had been shattered out of the windows and doors and most of the items had been looted but they went inside anyway.

"Not much left," Jack said as they looked around.

"No, but there's still some useful things here," the Doctor said, bending down to retrieve a mobile from the floor of the shop.

It had been stepped on in the looter's rush. The Doctor examined it and nodded to himself when he affirmed that he could still used parts from it.

"Doctor…"

The Doctor looked over his shoulder. Martha was holding a busted laptop.

"Monitor's cracked but I remember you using one of these to make the filters."

"Yes, thank you," the Doctor said, taking it from her.

"Hey, this is a perfectly good Blackberry," Jack said, picking one up from the floor. "It's not damaged at all. I'm stealing it!"

"So, you're becoming a looter now?" the Doctor said to him when he stuffed the Blackberry in his pocket.

"And you're not?" Jack said, pointing to the laptop under his arm.

"I'm salvaging this stuff for parts that will be used to protect all of us. I'm not picking up a nifty new Blackberry that can't even be used."

"Sorry, it's the con man in me, see something new, steal it," Jack said with a wink.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that. They left the store when the Doctor couldn't find anything else of use and continued on their way. They found a hardware store next. The inventory was nearly gone but the Doctor found a display for blank keys and he took several of them and stuffed them in his pocket.

"Shouldn't you be wearing a hoodie while you do that?" Jack joked as he watched him stealing the keys.

"I think this is enough for the filters," the Doctor said.

"Uh-huh, you're just saying that but the moment we pass by some TVs…"

The Doctor chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Wouldn't be the first time I stole something, old friend," he said.

"I know because you stole my heart away!" Jack gushed as he put his hands over his heart.

Martha bent over laughing while Rose gave him a wry look. The Doctor patted Jack's cheek before leaving the store.

"He touched me!" Jack gushed. "I'll never wash this cheek again!"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The Doctor and his companions walked through downtown LA trying to find somewhere to hide out. They asked a few people if they could recommend somewhere where they could stay. A few of the people shied away from them but one haggard looking man with a long, white beard led them to a YWCA that was being used as a shelter by many people. The exterior was shot up and some of the windows had been shot out and boarded up. There were ten stone steps going up to a set of double doors and on the steps were a few winos, passed out holding brown paper sacks filled with liquor. The inside looked better though and when they went through the doors, a woman was sitting behind the front desk. She was young and Asian with a preppy look to her. She smiled warmly at them and brushed her long, black hair back behind her left ear as the old man pointed to her.

"This is Yumiko, she'll help you," the man said.

The Doctor thanked him and walked up to the front desk.

"Need shelter?" Yumiko said with a slight Japanese accent.

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"Are you all together?" Yumiko said, pointing to his friends.

"We are but we may need more than one room," the Doctor said.

"Yes, the rooms are quite small," Yumiko said, opening a notebook and pulling a floor plan out of it. "You're in luck. We do have the two apartments downstairs by the swimming pool."

"We'll take it, how much to let them?" the Doctor said.

"No monetary charge. We ask that everyone volunteer here to keep the place running. I live here too and it's my day to work the desk. I can fit you into a schedule and give you copies. If you do that, you get free room and board."

"Food? We get food here?" Jack said.

"Yes. We have people smuggling food in here and there's a kitchen behind the rec room. Breakfast is served at 7 am, lunch at noon and dinner's at 5. Everyone eats in the rec rooms."

"And the Toclafane allow this?" the Doctor said.

"Most of the people who stay here work in labor camps. They get bused out every morning after breakfast so the Master allows this place to exist because of that. The rooms are furnished. It's second hand stuff but it's better than nothing. So…interested?"

"Can we use the pool too?" Jack said.

"Yes, the pool is open to anyone who stays here."

"Cool! Let's do it!" Jack said.

"We might not be here long," the Doctor said. "We are on the move but we'd like to stay for as long as we can."

"On the move, where are you going?" Yumiko said.

"We'd rather not say," the Doctor said.

Yumiko paused for a moment.

"Um…we do allow rebels to stay here but if you're captured, you're on your own," she said.

"We understand that. We just need a place to rest until we move on."

"Then you're welcome here. I just need your names so I can write them on the floor plan," she said, grabbing a pencil.

Everyone gave her their names and she wrote them in on the floor plan. Once she was finished, she handed them the keys to the apartments and directed them to the elevator. The Doctor thanked her and everyone walked towards the elevator while Yumiko went back to listening to her IPod.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty Five

"This isn't bad," Rose said when they stepped inside the apartment.

The walls were made of breeze blocks that were painted grey and unadorned. There was one narrow window up near the ceiling but it had been boarded over. There was a ceiling fan with a light and when they flipped the light switch, the fan began to turn. They were in the living room. There was a battered hide-a-bed with flowers all over it, an old and chipped table that had a ceramic lamp on it. The lamp had a geisha painted on the base of it. The chair was mismatched, blue suede with a pink throw pillow on top of the cushion. There was a 21 inch TV on top of another battered table. It was up against the wall with the chair across from it, the table next to the chair and the sofa beside the table. There was a door off to the left that led to a small, basic kitchen with old appliances and wooden cabinets above the counter. When they went into it and looked around, they saw another door to the left. They went in and looked at the bedroom. The bed was queen sized and was only a frame and pillow top mattress. It was at the back of the room. There were two pillows and a faded blue blanket on it. There was one table beside it with a small black ceramic lamp on the table, a large chest of drawers and a large cupboard was near the door. To the right was the bathroom with a lime green bathtub, toilet and sink with a small cupboard. Above the sink was a medicine cabinet. The Doctor opened it and took out a small bottle of ibuprofen. He popped open the top and peered in. He saw ten tablets were left so he put the cap back on, put it back and closed the door.

"You're right, this is nice. Small, but nice. So how do we do this? Who goes where?"

"Well, I was thinking I and the women would take this one and you take the other one," Jack said.

The Doctor gave him a withering look while the women laughed. Jack shrugged and grinned.

"Okay, we have a bed in the sofa," the Doctor said. "And a bed in the bedroom. So perhaps 3 or 4 of us can stay in here?"

"I'll stay," Donna said.

"Me too," Clarice added.

"I'll stay and protect these beautiful women," Jack said.

"Then Rose, Martha and me can take the other flat, provided it also has a bed in the sofa," he said.

Rose and Martha followed him across the hall to the other apartment. The apartment was similar to the other one. It had the same arrangement as the other one, just different furniture and lamps. The Doctor checked the bed and confirmed it was a hide-a-bed.

"You ladies want the bed in the bedroom or this one?" the Doctor said. "I can take either one."

Martha wanted to be in the bed with the Doctor but she realized he was being polite by taking a bed by himself. She looked at Rose.

"What do you want?" she asked her.

"I can sleep on the sofa, did that plenty of times when I was young," Rose said with a shrug.

"Pile into the bed, all of ya!" Jack called from across the hall.

"Shut up, Harkness!"the Doctor said while the women laughed. "Actually, you take the bed. I'll be a gentleman and sleep on the sofa. Besides, it's safer back there. No window," he said, pointing up to the boarded up window.

"I'm gonna sleep with Donna and Clarice, is that alright?" Jack called from the other apartment.

"He is annoying, isn't he?" the Doctor said while Rose and Martha snickered.

"You're not sleeping with me, Sunshine!" they heard Donna yell.

"Ooo, guess Jack's fantasy of a three way has just disintegrated. Hold on. I want to talk to him about Clarice before he seduces her into bed. She just got done being the Master's concubine, she doesn't need to be Jack's as well."

He ran out the door while Rose and Martha watched. Martha glanced at Rose when she wandered back into the bedroom. She sighed, not really liking the prospect of sleeping with her rival but she decided in the interest of group harmony to give her a chance.

"I was joking, Doctor, I wasn't gonna sleep with them," she heard Jack say.

She snickered at that and sat down on the sofa.

"Hey!"

Martha turned her head when she heard Rose calling from the bedroom.

"Yeah?" she said.

"They have clothes in this cupboard and swimming costumes! If they fit, I'm gonna go for a swim."

Martha got up and was about to go in the bedroom when the Doctor entered and shut the door.

"Now that everyone's safe, I'm gonna go out and do a bit of scavaging. We still need a few items and some rucksacks. Dinner's at five and that's…three hours from now," the Doctor said, checking his watch. "I need to find some hair dye for Rose. I cut her hair but she's still recognizable. Do you and Rose want to come with me and help or relax here?"

Martha considered that.

"If you don't mind, I want to stay here awhile and settle in. I'm tired from walking all over the Earth."

"Fair enough! Rose?"

"Yeah?" Rose said from the bathroom.

The Doctor and Martha walked to the bedroom. The Doctor stood outside the shut bathroom door and told her what he was going to do. Rose opened the bathroom door and the Doctor blinked when he saw her dressed in a two piece pink bikini holding a large towel.

"Um…I wanted to go for a swim," Rose said. "I found this in the cupboard along with some other clothes. But I can get changed if you need me."

"No, it's fine. Go ahead and relax. Martha's staying here as well. I think I can handle the scavenging. I was going to find some hair dye though. What color do you want to be?"

Rose leaned against the doorframe while she thought that over.

"Um…black, brown or ginger, whatever you can find. But nothing outrageous! Don't get me hot pink or something like that."

"Nothing outrageous! Got it!" the Doctor said. "Martha, you want to change your hair color since you're well-known as well?"

"Um…well, I s'pose I could put some red highlights in my hair if you can find some."

"Red, got it! Okay, I'll be off then. Be back in time for dinner. Don't let Jack pounce on you! Rose, enjoy your swim! Allons-y!"

Rose and Martha watched while he left the room.

"Are there any more of those?" Martha said, pointing to the bikini.

"Yeah, in a box on the floor," Rose said. "And towels are in the cupboard in the toilet."

Martha walked over the cupboard, knelt down and looked through a box filled with old clothes. He found a one piece black bathing suit. She stood up and put it against her body. Thinking it might fit her; she switched places with Rose and shut the bathroom door. She slipped out of her clothes and put the suit on. To her delight, the suit nearly fit her, just a bit loose but it was still good enough for a swim. She opened the cupboard, grabbed a brown towel. She shut the cupboard and tucked the towel under her arm. When she opened the bathroom door, she was shocked to see Rose sitting on the bed.

"I thought we'd go together," Rose said.

Martha nodded. She and Rose left the apartment and walked down the hallway. To their right was a shower room and to the left was the entrance to the pool. They used the shower room and got themselves wet, cleaning the dirt off their bodies before heading towards the swimming pool. When they got inside the room, they noticed someone was swimming laps in the Olympic sized pool. The room was large and made of breeze blocks, there were several windows scattered around the room near the ceiling but they were all boarded up and the only light source was the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. There was a diving board and some white wooden deck chairs were scattered around the deck of the pool with a couple of metal tables in between some of them. On the walls was a sign listing the rules of the pool room and several life preservers. Rose and Martha laid their towels on the nearest chairs and Martha walked over to the steps leading down to the shallow end while Rose walked to the deep end.

The woman noticed her and waved when she stopped and treaded water. She was in her late 40's with long red hair and a long scar down her right cheek. She was wearing a black bathing suit similar to Martha's. Rose waved at her and stopped.

"You're new," the woman said, treading water.

"Yeah, we just arrived," Rose said.

"You're British?"

Rose nodded.

"She is as well," Rose said, pointing to Martha. "I'm Rose Sax…Tyler and that's Martha Jones."

"I'm Grace Holloway, nice to meet you," she said. "Come in, the water's warm."

Rose tested the water with her toe, sat down on the edge and slipped in. She allowed herself to go under, wetting her hair before she kicked her way back up to the surface. She smoothed her hair back when she came out of the water and grabbed hold of the deck while Grace swam over to her.

"Are you one of the slaves?" she asked.

"No, we're traveling," Rose said while Martha swam over to them.

"I'm with the medical squad. Used to be a surgeon before the Toclafane attacked. I was based in San Francisco but I transferred to LA a few years ago because LA County General offered me more money and less hours. I was there when those things attacked the Earth. I got grazed by one of their lasers," she said, pointing to the scar on her cheek. "Now, I work for them. Not exactly honorable but it keeps me alive and I can take care of others and keep an eye on them. So are you guys by yourself?" she said as Martha came up beside Rose and grabbed the edge.

"No, there are six of us. There's two more women and two men," Rose said.

"Where are you staying?"

"In the flats near here," Martha said.

"I'm on the third floor. Are you eating supper? I'll join you guys if you're eating here."

"We are and it would be great if you did," Rose said while Martha nodded.

They swam for about an hour and a half before Rose and Martha got tired and decided to go back to their apartment. Grace decided to go with them and she swam over to another deck chair and grabbed her towel. They dried themselves off and Grace followed Rose and Martha as they left the room. They walked back to the apartment, chatting while they walked. When Rose opened the door, the Doctor was sitting on the sofa.

"I did a bit of scavaging and found some rucksacks and some clothes and a bit of food," he said. "Oh, and I got the hair…"

He trailed off when Grace came inside behind Martha and Rose.

"Grace," he said before Rose or Martha could introduce her.

Grace frowned.

"Do I know you?" she said as the Doctor stood up.

"Yes, you do, Grace. It's me. I'm the Doctor."


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

"You know her?" Rose said.

"I do indeed. I landed up in San Francisco during my seventh life. I was shot and taken to hospital and she was my surgeon. I regenerated afterwards, she couldn't save me."

"And you did it again?" Grace said, looking him over.

"Twice, actually. This is my tenth life."

"Doctor, Saxon is calling himself the Master. It's not THE Master is it, because he died in your TARDIS."

"He was resurrected by the Time Lords. Yes, it's the same man."

"Well, I'm staying far away from him and his acid spit this time," Grace said.

"Acid spit?" Martha said.

"Um…the Master acquired that during one of his lives. He could…spit on people and paralyze them as well."

"Well, I'm glad he never spit on me," Rose said.

"So you live in LA then?" the Doctor said.

Grace told him what he told Rose and Martha before asking where they were traveling to. The Doctor explained what had been happening to them after he had Grace sit down. Rose went to see if there was a way to make tea after noticing a box of tea in among the things the Doctor collected. Martha sat down in the chair beside the sofa while the Doctor sat down, kept on telling his story to Grace and sorted through the things he collected.

_Another one?_ Martha thought to herself as she stared at Grace. _Blimey, how many women have gone traveling with him? Wonder if she had a relationship with him as well._

"You didn't know about me?" the Doctor said when he finished updating Grace. "I've been shown on the telly. Granted I was an old geezer but they mentioned me by name."

"I don't have a TV in my room," Grace said, shaking her head. "And I work most days. The people I work with finally decided I should rest and forced me to take a day off. I just hate lying around when people are sick and dying out there."

"Yes, but you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of them. What about Lee? Have you heard from him since we saw him last?'

"No, I have no idea what happened to him. God, I hope he's okay. Although…sometimes I think it's better to be dead now, given what's happened."

Rose brought some tea to them.

"Didn't find a kettle so I boiled some water in a pot," Rose said as she handed a mug to the Doctor and Grace. "No milk, sorry," she said to the Doctor and Martha.

The Doctor nodded and sipped his tea while Rose went back and got a mug of tea for herself and Martha. She came back into the room and the four of them sipped their tea while Grace spoke to the Doctor and updated him on her life. While they did that, the Doctor reached into a rucksack and handed a hair coloring kit to Rose.

"I got dark brown for you and I did find red for you, Martha," he said, handing another box to Martha.

"Brilliant, I'll use this after dinner," Martha said.

They kept on chatting until it was nearly five and the four of them walked over to the other apartment. The Doctor knocked on the door.

"What's the password?" Jack yelled through the door.

"Open the door, Jack!" the Doctor yelled.

"Um…no, that's not it. The password is gorgonzola but I'll let you slide since it's you," Jack said, opening the door. "Oh, you found a friend?"

"A very old friend, actually. Grace Holloway, Jack Harkness."

Clarice and Donna came to the door and the Doctor made introductions. Once everyone was introduced, they went to the lift and went upstairs. When they got to the rec room, they found a group of empty seats at a table near the door and sat down to wait for dinner.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Mister Saxon?"

The Master looked up and looked at the guard at his office door. He'd been looking through several spy reports on his desk, trying to hide his rage at the fact that the Doctor and his companions somehow managed to escape Calais.

"Yes?" he said testily.

"We captured…" the guard looked at a sheet of paper in his hand. "Sarah Jane Smith and her son, Luke. They're been taken to the cell block."

"Excellent, make sure they're unharmed. At least for the moment. And keep looking for more of the Doctor's friends. We want to make sure we get all the ones that are still living."

The guard nodded and Saxon excused him. When he left the room, he grabbed a ledger and wrote in it.

"Sarah Jane, I remember you," he said as he wrote her name. "You were a thorn in my side so I'm glad you're here instead of out causing trouble and you have a son? How sweet."

He summoned a Toclafane and when it appeared, he swiveled in his chair to face it.

"We captured Sarah Jane Smith and Luke Smith," he said to it while he looked at the list. "So far, we have captured those two, Mickey Smith, Jo Jones and Dorothy McShane. We still need Grace Holloway, Chang Lee, Liz Shaw, Barbara Chesterton, her husband Ian and Tegan Jovanka, if they're still alive. Those are the ones I know of, there may be others but I believe some of them are off world so we won't worry about those at the moment. We only need the ones that are here on Earth. Keep looking for these and bring them here, alive if possible but if they put up too much of a fight, kill them."

"Yes, Sir."

The Master dismissed the Toclafane and it vanished. He flung the ledger down on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"You think you're so clever, Doctor? Let's see how long it takes you to surrender when I start threatening live executions for your friends. Scratch that…live torture and executions, beamed live from here to everyone on Earth. That'll take the fight outta ya quick enough, I imagine."

He rose from his chair and headed towards his private bathroom so he could get a shower before going to bed.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty Seven

After dinner, Grace followed everyone back down to their apartments. The Doctor mentioned the Toclafane they brought with them and Grace asked to look at it. Grace sat on the floor beside the sofa and unwrapped the blanket covering the orb while the women went into the bathroom to start dying Rose and Martha's hair.

"Wow, never thought I'd see one of these things up close," she said.

The Doctor peeled back the panels and Grace peered inside. She made a face when she saw the distorted face.

"This took over the Earth? A piece of shit with a face on it?" she said.

"Well, I wouldn't call it that but yes, this is a Toclafane," the Doctor said.

"Someone shot it in the head, I notice."

She looked at the Doctor and looked at Jack when the Doctor glared at him. Jack gave her a sheepish look.

"It was preparing to attack us," he said to her. "He doesn't approve of guns."

"You didn't object when I shot that cop's motorcycle," Grace said to the Doctor.

"Shooing a motorcycle's one thing, shooting a living being is another," the Doctor said. "But what's done is done."

"This looks like a life support system," Grace said, pointing to a device over the Toclafane's mouth. "I suppose you'd need one without a body. Where'd the brain go though?"

"I'm guessing computer harddrive replaced that," the Doctor said.

"But they're thinking beings so it must be A.I.? Weird," Grace said. "And these are what we're going to become?"

"It seems so," the Doctor said.

"So, this killing spree, is it because the human race goes bonkers by becoming these things?" Grace said.

"Not sure. That's what I like about you, Grace, always asking questions."

"With you around, there's always a lot of questions," Grace said, closing up the orb. "And you're going to fix this mess the Master made? How? By finding another atomic clock?"

"Nope. I'm intending to do what you did the last time, reverse time and fix it so all this never happened."

"Good luck with that," Grace said. "I don't know how much help I'll be this time around."

"Why wouldn't you be much help? You helped me defeat the Master your first time out and that's quite an assignment for a novice."

He frowned when Grace gave him a scrutinizing look.

"I like this look," she said. "I mean, you looked cute with the curly hair but this is nice too. How'd it happen this time?"

"Well, my eighth body regenerated during a long war called The Time War. The next body regenerated when I absorbed radiation and saved Rose's life. Now there's me," the Doctor said.

"And how long have you been with him?" Grace asked Jack as he sat down beside her.

"Well, I traveled with his previous self for several months and we got separated and I met him again a couple months ago and got stuck with him again. How long did you travel with him?"

"One day."

"One day?" Jack said. "What'd you do, Doc, kick her out the door the moment she complained about the toilet seat being left up?"

"I didn't go with him. He offered, I didn't go," Grace said.

"Why not?" Jack said.

"I had my career to think of and I thought I was needed here on Earth," Grace said. "Plus, I ended up dying when I was around him."

"Join the club," Jack said.

The Doctor snickered when Grace gave him a dubious look.

"Do you have a track record when it comes to your friends dying and resurrecting?" she said.

"Only the nearest and dearest," the Doctor said, patting her on the shoulder.

"Wait, how did you come back from the dead?" Jack said.

The Doctor excused himself and got up from the floor while Grace told Jack what happened to her. He walked into the bedroom and wrinkled his nose when the pungent odor of hair dye hit his nostrils.

"Phew! That stuff reeks!" he said, walking over to the bed.

Rose and Martha were sitting on the bed, plastic shower caps covering their hair while Donna and Clarice sat on the floor in front of them.

"It's hair dye, it smells," Rose said.

"I know but…blimey, can't you humans come up with something odorless? I have sensitive nostrils."

He walked over to Rose and lifted up the edge of her shower cap.

"Are you cookin'?" he asked.

"If by cookin' you mean is the hair dye workin', yes, it is," Rose said. "Probably another ten minutes and it'll be done."

"Brilliant. Then I can air out the room or go jump into the pool, anything to get the smell out of my nostrils."

"Aw, poor baby," Donna said. "Can face down the Master but runs at the smell of hair dye."

"You don't have a nose like mine, Noble! You may be able to tolerate it but it's giving me a ruddy headache. I'm going back into the living room now until the smell is eliminated. Good day!"

He turned crisply on his heel and walked out. He sensed someone behind him and looked over his shoulder at Rose.

"Go back in there!" he said, pointing to the bedroom door.

"Aw, I'm sorry, is my hair bothering you?" Rose said sweetly.

"Go back, I'm not kidding," he said.

Rose tickled his chin and headed back into the bedroom. The Doctor shook his head and walked into the living room.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Were finished," Rose called out a half hour later.

They four women came into the living room and showed off their new look. Rose's hair was completely brown and Martha had red highlights.

"Very nice," the Doctor said while the women turned and modeled for him. "I like it. Now at least it'll be harder for people to recognize you."

He was about to say something else when suddenly the TV came on by itself. The Doctor looked around, trying to see if anyone was sitting on a remote control.

"It does that if the Master wants everyone to hear some message of his," Grace said, rolling his eyes.

"He can control all tellys? That's impressive," the Doctor said.

He chuckled when Rose booed the screen the instant the Master came on. He was sitting behind his desk while two Toclafane hovered behind him.

"My people, greetings and salutations from your most benevolent Master," he said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Benevolent, my ass," Jack said as he leaned back on the chair behind him.

"I know you are living your busy lives, working in service of me and struggling to survive which is why I am speaking only to a handful of people. The Doctor and his cronies who are now missing but will be found, I promise you!"

"Can we watch Teletubbies? They're more interesting than you are," Jack yelled at the screen.

"Doctor. You may have thought you've outwitted me but I have not been idle during your absence. You see, I know you've been gathering together your former friends to try to stop me. But guess what? I've been doing the same."

The Doctor sat up straight and glared at the TV screen.

"I have several of your former companions in my custody, Doctor, and I'm searching for others who traveled with you. And once I have them all, I will torture and execute them one by one…unless you and your friends surrender peacefully."

"You bastard," the Doctor growled.

"So…I will give you twenty four hours to come out of hiding and surrender before I start killing your friends. So far I have…Sarah Jane Smith and her son, Luke. Dorothy "Ace" McShane, Mickey Smith and Jo Jones. Those are the ones I've found alive, there may be others and if there are, I and my Toclafane will find them and bring them here to face torture and death. The price they must pay for being your allies. But if you surrender peacefully with those who are with you, I will spare them and allow them to go back to their lives. Remember, Doctor, you have twenty four hours before the televised executions begin. So make your choice wisely."

The TV shut off and there was complete silence in the room.

"I have to go back. I can't let my friends suffer and die because of me," he said. "If I give myself up, maybe that'll be enough to satisfy him and all of you can go free."

"I'm not leaving you," Rose said.

"Neither am I," Martha said. "I started this with ya and I'm gonna finish it with ya."

"I'm not leaving either," Donna said.

"And you'll have to pry me off you before I leave," Jack said.

"I'm going too."

The Doctor looked at Grace when she said that.

"He doesn't know about you," he said to her.

"Don't care. I want to see the Master finished once and for all. What have I got to lose anyway? There's as much suffering and torment down here as there is up there. Besides, I kept thinking about you all this time and regretting my decision not to go. I'm going this time."

The Doctor nodded and smiled. He looked at Clarice.

"And you? I can tell him you ran," he said.

"No, I need to make up for what I did. I don't want to be a coward anymore. I want to help you because you've been kind to me and gave me a second chance. Besides, I agree with Grace. It's Hell down here and Hell up there, what's the difference?"

The Doctor nodded.

"I don't want you to go but it's your decision. You're all adults here but I'm sure most of you know the Master probably won't show any mercy so be prepared for that. Very well, my friends and allies, we go together, surrender and face whatever comes our way."


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty Eight

Everyone decided to leave the building in case the Toclafane came. But as they went outside, Jack stopped everyone and handed his manipulator to the Doctor.

"I have a plan, just don't go with us. Hold back and use the manipulator to come on board the Valiant at a later time," he said.

"But what will you lot do in the meantime?" the Doctor asked.

Jack motioned for everyone to come close and he told them his plan…

XOXOXOXOXO

The Master was sitting at his desk fiddling with a Rubik's Cube when his mobile suddenly rang. He reached into his pocket and answered it.

"Yeeeees?" he said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Harry."

The Master sat up straight and put the Rubik's Cube down on his desk when he heard his wife's voice.

"Sweetikins! You're alive! Thank God the bad man didn't hurt you!" he said with the same sickening sweetness.

"We surrender, Harry. Well, at least me and the other friends of the Doctor."

"And the Doctor?"

"He's not with us. He went off to check out some missile site near here."

"And where is here?"

"LA."

"Oooh, sounds exciting, sunshine galore, eh dearest? Nice of you to ring me but I requested the Doctor as well as his allies."

"We want to turn ourselves in and we will, if you spare him."

"Nope. Need the big fish wriggling in my net, not just the little minnows."

"Then you miss out on getting us."

"Oh, I'm getting you lot. Don't think I'm letting you go free because he's not with you but just know that I won't spare him because you lot surrendered. Still, if you could get a message to him…"

"We don't know where he went. He was checking out a missile site near here."

"I believe I know where he went then," the Master said. "Sooo, surrendering then? Because I have more of the Doctor's friends and I'll make them scream if you don't turn yourselves in to me."

"We surrender then," Rose said.

"Wow, that was easy. I suppose you lot are all members of the Companion's Club and you take a pledge to defend one another. So…who is with you then so I know how many cells to prepare?"

"Me, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, Grace Holloway and Clarice Manet."

"Grace Holloway? She's with you?" the Master said, picking up a piece of paper and looking at it. "Hey! She's one of those I've been looking for. I can tick her off my Companions in my Clutches list! Brilliant. Okay, now give me your location and I'll transmat you lot here!"

He wrote down the address Rose gave him on a nearby sheet of paper.

"Very well, when I transmat, there better be six of you or you'll suffer!" he said. "Ta ta!"

He hung up the phone and grinned as he sprung up from his chair.

"Guards, I need you!" he called out as he ran to the office door.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Well, that's done," Rose said, handing Martha's mobile back to her. "He's going to transmat us there."

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can come with you," the Doctor said.

"No. Stay behind and sneak on board later," Donna said. "We can handle the windbag."

"Yeah, we're members of the Companion's Club according to Harry," Rose said.

"Companion's Club, I like that. I need to remember that," the Doctor said.

He quickly hugged the women goodbye, wishing them good luck and promising to rescue them and the others. He stepped back and looked at Jack when he threw his arms wide and puckered his lips. The women giggled when the Doctor rolled his eyes and embraced him.

"Take care of them if you can," he said softly in Jack's ear.

"Gotcha, Boss!" Jack said.

The Doctor patted his back and stepped away from them. He watched with silent anger when a bright light enveloped them all and carried them away.

"You harm them, Master, and I'll make you regret the day you opened that fob watch," the Doctor growled.

XOXOXOXOXO

"Very good, excellent, well done!" the Master said when six captives appeared on the transmat platform. "At least you kept your word about the number of captives. Guards, keep an eye on them and shoot them if they try anything," he said to the guards positioned around the room.

The guards aimed their guns at the captives while the Master stepped up onto the platform. He looked everyone over and raised his eyebrow when he saw Rose.

"Honey Bunny, you got your hair colored…and cut, I like it," he said, walking over to her and fingering the ends of her hair. "And Martha put a bit of red in her hair. You lot didn't have to pretty yourself up for me. Sweet of you to do that though."

He walked around and stopped at Grace.

"So, we meet again, Doctor Holloway," he said. "You aged though. Not as pretty as you used to be."

"I'd rather be ugly on the outside than ugly on the inside."

"Oho, well played. Love your rapier wit, Doctor," he said to her. "Perhaps you'd like to be my servant again?"

"I'd rather die."

"Well, that's the thing, I believe I did kill you but you managed to come back to life again. But then again, I did the same thing so I can't fault you for that. And speaking of people who came back to life, greetings Assassin Delta," he said walking over to Jack.

"Greetings, Bozo the Clown, how's it feel, having all your handiwork undone by your rival?"

"Eh, I would have been worried if he hadn't found a way to bring you back. He's almost a match for me, you know. Almost…"

He walked over to Clarissa and sneered at her.

"Hello, my concubine, decided to join this lot? That's a very bad decision to make," he said, fingering her long, blonde hair.

"No, the bad decision is becoming your spy. This is how I will atone for what I did."

The Master snorted at that. He walked back around to Rose and she stiffened when he put his hand on her back.

"My wife stays with me, the rest go to the cells," he said to the guards. "Take them before they start trouble."

"Move!" one of the guards barked as he motioned with his gun towards the door.

Jack glared at the Master before he ushered the women down off the platform. He kept a wary eye on the Master and the guards while they surrounded them. The Master watched while the guards surrounded them and escorted them outside. Then he jerked on the back of Rose's hair, causing her to gasp in pain.

"I shoulda known better than to allow you access to your precious Doctor," he growled in her ear. "I shoulda given you a lobotomy rather than let you keep your mind."

"A lobotomy would be a better fate than married to you," Rose grunted as the Master seized her arm and jerked on her hair again.

"You love him dearly, don't you?" the Master said. "Pity the next time you see him, you'll be beaten into submission. Your little show of sacrifice didn't save him and now he'll have to watch as you're tortured and executed in front of him. You and all his little friends. I didn't get them all but no matter, there's enough here to cause him trauma and pain and destroy his spirit. He won't be so cocky when he's got a pile of dead bodies at his feet. But for now…come with me! We need to get reacquainted!"

Rose gasped when he kept his grip on her hair while he jerked her arm up behind her.

"Move, you worthless bitch!" the Master growled in her ear as she was shoved towards the edge of the platform.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty Nine

By the time the Doctor was on board the Valiant, it was nearly dawn in England. He had spent the day finding parts in more electronic and department stores, hurriedly cobbling together a mind scrambler ray and putting together more perception filters for his friends. The mind scrambler device resembled his sonic, except it was bulkier and had a red lens. Unlike his sonic, the device shot out a beam of energy that disrupted the neural impulses in the brain and rendered the subject unconscious. He put the manipulator in his jacket pocket, next to his sonic and held the scrambler in his right hand, keeping it ready while he tried to get his bearings on board the ship. He was deep within it, judging from the pipes mounted on the walls. He fingered his perception filter, making sure it was in place as he slowly walked towards the end of the corridor. He moved stealthily, keeping to the shadows, and smirking at the guards he passed who were unaware of his presence. He finally found Tish mopping the floor of one of the corridors. He came up to her and touched her arm, putting his finger to his lips when she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"The prisoners, where are they?" the Doctor whispered. "And my TARDIS?"

"They're all heavily guarded. Both by guards and Toclafane," Tish whispered back.

"No worries, my filter works on both," the Doctor whispered. "Have you see them? Are they alright?"

"For the most part. The Master roughed them up but they're alive. They just brought down Jack and Martha and a couple of others but no Rose. I think he kept Rose with him," Tish whispered.

The Doctor's jaw clenched but he kept his anger in check.

"Where are your mum and dad?" he whispered. "We need to start a rebellion here before he starts executing everyone."

Tish beckoned to him to follow her and the Doctor followed her to a room where Francine and Clive were resting. The Doctor frowned when he saw Francine. The room was designed for them to have a place to rest in between their duties. It was bare except for a mattress on the floor and a table and lamp beside it. Francine was lying on the mattress under an old green blanket, visibly ill. The Doctor's rage burned inside him when he saw how sick she was.

"He's been working us nearly round the clock," Tish said to him. "We get a few hours rest in here and then back out we go. It's punishment for not stopping you and Rose when you escaped. Mum's body is breaking down from all the work and stress she's gone through."

"I'm sorry, Francine, I will sort this and stop him," the Doctor said. "Clive, Tish, can you help me stop him?"

"Anything to get back at that bastard," Tish said.

He handed two filters to her and Clive and explained how they worked.

"When you leave here, go to the cell block and see if you can rescue everyone, get them out of the cells and give them these perception filters," he said, handing the filters to Tish. "The Master won't be fooled but it'll help you lot evade the guards and Toclafane. I'll find the Master and keep him occupied so he won't trouble you."

"Good luck," Tish said.

"And you," he said.

Clive patted him on the shoulder and wished him luck. Then Francine took his hand.

"Doctor," she said weakly. "I was wrong about you. They told me you were evil but the evil one is Saxon. I'm sorry I judged you wrong."

"S'alright, won't be the first time someone thought I was a baddie," the Doctor said. "You just rest, we'll take care of everything."

Francine nodded. He wished her daughter and husband good luck. Clive and Tish put the filters on and led the Doctor out of the room. On the way to the cell blocks, they froze and the Doctor's blood turned cold when he heard Rose's anguished scream somewhere above them. He told Clive and Tish to go ahead and free the others. He gave Tish the sonic and explained to them how to work it. Once he was done with that, he hurried towards the lift while Tish and Clive hurried to the cell block.

When the lift door opened and he saw a guard inside, he used the mind scrambler on him. The guard's eyes bulged as he convulsed and then he collapsed to the floor as the Doctor stepped inside and hit the up button.

When the lift doors opened, he was inside the conference room. The Master was standing in front of the conference table and he grinned when he saw the Doctor.

"Just the man I've been looking for. Thought this whole checking out the missile sites was a ruse," he said to him as he came into the room. "Not to mention I sensed you coming onto the ship, Time Lord senses and all that."

"Where's Rose, what have you done to her?" he said.

"My wife? Oh, she's here, right beside me," the Master said. "Come and see."

The Doctor's hearts caught in his throat as he made his way around the table. He had put the scrambler inside his jacket pocket and he hoped the Master wouldn't order his guards to do a search as he came near him. He came around the table and froze, his hearts nearly stopping when he saw Rose.

"I decided to punish her by aging her like I did you," he said, pointing to the wrinkled and aged Rose gasping at his feet. "I decided not to go to 100 since most apes don't live that long so I aged her to around 80 years old."

He laughed when he could see the rage on the Doctor's face. The Doctor tried to lunge at him but he whipped out his laser screwdriver.

"Kneel or I age her to 500 years and let her become a pile of dust!" he said to the Doctor.

The Doctor realized that if he sacrificed himself he could buy his friends some time. He kneeled in front of his enemy while Rose weakly begged him not to do it. The Master snickered when Rose slowly got up on her hands and knees and crawled to him.

"Aw, how cute," the Master said when the Doctor opened his arm and let her slide into it. "That gives me an idea," he added, adjusting his screwdriver.

"You're going to age me again," the Doctor said.

"Yes. But…I'm going to make sure you can't do a damn thing to fight back this time. I'm tired of you escaping and undoing my clever plans. So this time I'm going to make sure you stay aged and…I'm going to transmit it all over the Valiant so your captive friends can watch their fearless leader become a weak old prune. Now…stand up, both of you."

The Doctor helped Rose to her feet, his hearts aching when he watched her struggling to get up. The Master called for the guards and when his back was turned, the Doctor put his forehead against hers.

_I will stay with you, Ma'dori,_ he thought to her. _We'll suffer together._

Rose managed a weak smile and the Doctor kissed her cheek before the Master turned back around. The door opened and the guards came inside, surrounding them.

"Come with me," he said to the guards. "I'm going to take them to my office and film them and I need you to keep them in line. If the Doctor tries to resist, shoot him."

The Doctor supported Rose as she slowly walked with him out of the room. The guards surrounded them and held their guns at the ready while the Master skipped out of the room, whistling cheerfully.

"Aaah, this is going to be a wonderful morning, I can tell!" he said as he strolled down the corridor towards his office.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter Forty

"Wow, quite a gathering here," Jack said, looking around at the Doctor's friends and companions.

Tish and Clive managed to sneak into the cell block and get past the guards. Clive knocked out the two guards in there with falcon punches to the face and they used the sonic to free everyone. He noticed that both Sarah Jane and Jo seemed to be in their sixties while Ace was in her late thirties, Mickey was in his early twenties and Luke was a teenager. Add to that the friends that had been captured with him and there was quite an age range. Jack hugged Mickey warmly while Sarah Jane, Jo, Donna, Martha, Grace, Clarice and Ace greeted one another. Luke hung back, shyly watching the group. When they ended their greetings, they turned towards Tish and Clive.

"Where's the Doctor?" Jo said.

"He was with us," Tish said. "Then he heard Rose scream and went up to the main level."

"Let's go get the Professor then before the Master kills us all," Ace said. "Damn, what I wouldn't give to have some nitro-9 right now."

"Is he alright?" Sarah Jane said. "We saw him as an old man, is he still that way now?"

"No, he made himself young again," Jack said.

The recent captives breathed a sigh of relief.

"We have to think of a strategy, we can't just go in there without a plan," Jo said.

"Especially since the Master will probably have a few traps laid out and lots of defenses," Sarah Jane said. "He might have changed his body but he's still the same bastard he always was."

Jo, Ace and Grace voiced their agreement of that.

"The Doctor gave me these," Tish said, passing out the filters to everyone. "He said they don't work on the Master but they will work on the guards and the Toclafane."

Jack helped explain what the filters did while everyone put them on.

"If we can get past the guards, we can find the armory," Jo said when he finished his explanation. "Find some weapons to defend ourselves with."

"We need to find the TARDIS as well," Martha said. "Disable this paradox machine and that'll send time back to the way it was before."

"Tish, have you seen where they keep the TARDIS?" Grace said.

"I think so. It's guarded by Toclafane but if we have these on, we might be able to sneak past them," Tish said.

"If not, I'll draw them away while you get inside," Jack said. "I can afford to lose a life since I'm immortal."

"You're immortal? Simply marvelous!" Jo said.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Except when I get killed, then it's not so great. But anyway, enough talking, team!"

"Yeah, the Professor needs us now. Let's go get him and finish the Master once and for all."

"Follow me then," Tish said. "Dad and I will take you to the cupboard where they're keeping the TARDIS."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Kneel!" the Master said coldly as the Doctor and Rose were positioned in front of the TV camera.

"Harry, no, please don't do this," Rose said.

"And you, Grandma, sit over there like a good wife!" the Master said, pointing to the sofa by his desk.

"Do as he says, Rose," the Doctor said when Rose started to protest.

Rose squeezed his hand tightly before she followed two of the guards over to the sofa.

"Get up from there at any time and I'll have the guards fill him full of lead," the Master growled at her as she sat down. "Now, stay still like a good boy while I adjust the camera. We want to get your good side after all."

Rose watched while he went over to the camera and looked through the lens. She glanced at her guards who were both standing in front of her keeping their eyes on the Doctor. The other guards were guarding the Doctor and when she was sure no one was looking, she reached down into the space beside the sofa cushion and pulled up a large ice pick that she had hidden there previously after she had realized how evil her husband really was. She had always planned to use it at some point and now she was willing to risk her life to save her lover. She had a feeling this time Harry would overdo it and age him until he was nothing but a lifeless shell and she would rather die than see that happen. She put the ice pick in her lap and covered it with her hands while she waited for the right moment to strike.

XOXOXOXOXO

"Here it is," Tish whispered as everyone stopped and stood across from an iron door. "I think it's in there. This thing's always been heavily guarded."

"I don't see anyone," Donna whispered.

"By Toclafane," Tish whispered. "There's usually two or three of them inside the room with the TARDIS."

"Which means if we open the door, they're gonna know we're there," Grace whispered.

"So what do we do then?" Luke whispered.

Jack bit his lip while he thought that over. Then he suddenly remembered something.

"The Doctor said before all this happened that if we can get one of these perception filters around the Master's neck, his hypnotic spell will be broken and all these guards will see him as he truly is."

"So who gets to do that?" Jo whispered.

"I will," Jack said. "If we can do that and the guards understand who he is, maybe we can get one to go into the room and make up a story so the Toclafane won't suspect the open door. The rest of us go inside and get past them and put the paradox machine out of commission. All we'd have to do is strike the console or the rotor and that might be enough to break it and begin the reversal."

"Jack, let me go with you," Clarice said. "If you can't get the filter around his neck, I'll do it. I want to see him dead for what he did to me and made me do."

"Are you sure?" Jack said.

"Oui, I'm sure," Clarice said, nodding.

"Okay, the rest of you wait. I'm sure all hell will break loose if we do this. Hopefully, you'll be able to get a guard to go inside the room or the Toclafane might come out. Just be patient. We'll be as quick as we can."

Everyone nodded and wish Jack and Clarice good luck. Jack looked at his friend and smiled.

"Right. Here comes the fun part," he said to her before they hurried off.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Okay then, we're ready to transmit," the Master said, stepping out from behind the camera. "And you, my old enemy are about to become a very, very, very old age penishoner."

"Harry, please don't do this," Rose said from the sofa.

"I believe I told you to shut your fucking mouth, you little whore," the Master said. "Oh wait, I'm sorry, was she your whore? Thousand pardons," he said to the Doctor when he noticed he was seething at that. "Anyway, time for broadcast. You…your name is Frank, isn't it?" he said, beckoning to a young blonde haired guard. "You're the one who can work this thing, so come over here and turn it on. Let's get this show on the road!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

The lift doors opened and Jack and Clarice stepped out into the conference room. They looked around but there were no guards in sight.

"Where is everyone?" Clarice whispered to Jack.

"Either down below or with the Master and the Doctor and Rose. I'm sure the Master has him surrounded three feet deep with guards in case he tries something. It's to our advantage though so let's hurry before anyone spies us."

They went around the table and headed towards the door. They nearly reached the door when they suddenly heard the Master's voice.

"Greetings, my subjects and my captives…"

Clarice and Jack froze when they heard the Master's voice behind them. They turned, half expecting to see him but there was no one in sight.

"This is a very special announcement from me to you."

"Up there," Jack mouthed, pointing to the upper level.

He and Clarice went over to the stairs, climbed up and noticed there was a TV sitting on a desk to their right that had been turned on. Jack froze when he saw the Master standing next to the Doctor who was kneeling beside him.

"You all know this man of course," the Master said, pointing to the Doctor. "He is your fearless leader. The man who inspired you all to fight evil and injustice wherever it may be. What a noble fellow, eh? Unfortunately, your leader is now my prisoner and he's been very naughty. So I must punish him very, very severely."

"Bastard," Jack said as he and Clarice watched. "Come on, Clarice, let's crash this party of his and rescue our fearless leader."

XOXOXOXOXOX

Below level, the others had heard the Master speaking and found a TV mounted on the wall just around the corner from the door. All of them gathered around it and watched with sinking hearts as the Master gloated over the captive Doctor.

"And so…" the Master said, holding up his laser screwdriver to the camera. "It's bye bye young Doctor and hello, Methuselah! So get ready, Doctor, because you're going to be screaming…"

Just then something slammed into the Master.

"What was that?" Sarah Jane said as the Doctor jumped to his feet.

"You bitch!" they heard the Master say off camera.

"Rose, no! Stop!" the Doctor said off camera.

"Damn it, what's going on?" Ace said.

They heard the sound of fist connecting with flesh and Rose's pained yell followed by the Doctor's enraged yell.

"You conniving bitch!" the Master screamed off camera while the Doctor's companions watched. "I oughta slit your throat for this! How dare you try to use an ice pick on me, you fucking whore!"

"Master, please! Calm down! Leave her alone!" the Doctor said off camera.

"I don't care what you do to me! Leave the Doctor alone!" Rose yelled off camera.

"Turn the fucking camera off now!" the Master yelled.

Then everything went black. Sarah Jane shook her head.

"Forget the door. We're needed upstairs!" she said to her friends. "Come on, everyone, we have to rescue the Doctor and Rose before it's too late."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty One

The Doctor shielded Rose's body with his own while she lay gasping on the floor. The Master stood over them, holding his screwdriver in one hand and the ice pick in the other.

"You know what? After I age you, I think the bitch will be the first to be executed," he said to the Doctor. "This traitorous little slut deserves to die, but first things first. You, back in front of the camera."

"Not until you give me your word that she won't be harmed," the Doctor said.

The Master let out a derisive laugh.

"I already harmed her if you haven't noticed. You see how old she is now? But if it makes you happy, as long as the slut doesn't try to attack me again, I will leave her alone. That okay with you?"

The Doctor nodded. He looked at Rose and laid his hand on the side of her head when she began to tear up. He gave her a loving smile before he stood up and walked back to his place in front of the camera. The moment he did, the guards surrounded Rose but she laid there, her energy and her hope drained while she listlessly watched the man she loved drop to her knees in front of the camera.

"Anyway, back to business," the Master said, gesturing to the guard to turn on the camera again as he stepped in front of it.

He waited for the red light on top of the camera to come on before speaking.

"Anyway, what I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," he said, shooting a pointed look at Rose. "Is that I'm going to not only age your leader, I'm going to suspend his capacity to regenerate and really age the bugger! In fact, let's see what you'd look like, Doctor, if you showed all 900 years of your life. Bit curious, you might say. So…here we go…"

"Goodbye, my love," Rose murmured to herself as a tear trickled down her cheek.

The Doctor braced himself as the Master aimed his screwdriver at him. He knew this time the pain would be horrific and he didn't want Rose to watch him scream but he wasn't sure if he could endure the aging without doing that.

"Have fun, Doctor," the Master said.

He turned his screwdriver on.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Jack and Clarice froze when they heard the Doctor's anguish scream.

"Shit! Come on, Clarice!" Jack said.

Both of them ran, following the sound of the screams. They got to the Master's office door when suddenly the screaming stopped. Then they heard an anguished scream from Rose.

"You killed him, you fucking bastard!" Rose shrieked.

Jack put his finger to his lips and he and Clarice tiptoed towards the door.

XOXOXOXOX

Rose wept as she got up on her hands and knees and looked through the gaps in between the guards. The Doctor kept getting smaller and smaller with each passing moment and now there were only his clothes where he was before. Tears stream down Rose's cheeks as she wished to die next.

Then suddenly there was movement underneath the clothes and Rose watched in silent horror as a tiny, bald headed, gnome looking thing peeked out of the Doctor's shirt. Rose looked at her husband who was staring at the tiny gnome Doctor with a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"Wow, you look like Yoda," the Master said. "Well, learn something new every day, I suppose. Aw, cheer up, wifey, he's alive," he added when he noticed his wife was looking at him with pure hate in her eyes. "Guards, let her through so she can be reunited with her lover."

The guards parted and Rose slowly got to her feet. The Master backed up when Rose glowered at him. Then she kneeled down and sobbed as the Doctor climbed out of his shirt and into her arms.

"Ugh," the Master said, looking at his tiny wrinkled butt. "That's an image that'll be burned into my mind forever more. So anyway, where were we? Ah yes…guards, escort the happy couple to one of the cells that has a Perspex wall on the front. I don't want Munchkin to scurry away."

Rose grabbed the Doctor's shirt and wrapped it around him while the Doctor clung to her. The guards helped her to her feet and the Doctor turned and looked at the Master.

"You may think you've won but you haven't," the Doctor said to him.

"Oh, so you can still talk. I figured your voice box might have disintegrated about 200 years back. Like I said, learn something new every day. Guards, take them away."

"Don't cry, Rose, it isn't over yet," the Doctor said softly as he raised a tiny hand to her cheek.

The guards got to the door. The lead guard opened it and grunted, staggering back when Jack punched him.

"Hello, Sugarpuffs, surprise!" Jack said as the guard was knocked back into the others.

Rose gasped and backed up when most of the guards fell to the floor. Jack took in her ancient state, the tiny Doctor in her arms and he let out a battle cry and began to punch the other guards. Rose shielded the Doctor and backed up against the wall. She tried to make her aged legs run towards the door when the Master made a beeline for her. Just as the Master caught up to her, Clarice came around inside and barreled into him.

"You bitch!" the Master said before he punched her hard in the face.

Clarice staggered back and the Master grabbed her and rammed her up against the wall. Jack saw what he was doing, quickly dispatched the last guard and ran up to him. The Master pulled out his screwdriver but Jack grabbed his wrist and fought the Master as he tried to wrench it free from Jack's grip.

"Ma'dori, my jacket," the Doctor whispered to Rose as he pointed to his clothes. "Take me to it."

Rose glanced at the Master.

"You're not gonna get away from me, Doctor. Neither you nor the bitch will live!" the Master yelled.

"Oh, shut up!" Jack said before he kneed him in the balls.

"Wow, that looked painful," the Doctor said as Rose went back to his clothes.

The Master grunted and fought to get back at Jack for that. Suddenly, they heard several yells of rage and the Master turned his head to see the Doctor's other companions rushing at him as they ran for the door.

"Oh yeah, the party has arrived!" Jack said gleefully when the Master let out a loud curse.

Rose reached the Doctor's clothes and put him down. The Doctor burrowed inside his jacket and came out with his mind scrambler. He got back out and froze when he noticed that the Master was now being gang punched by his companions.

"Wow, sucks to be him," the Doctor said. "Excuse me…hey….whoa!" he said in his weak, gravelly voice, trying to get his enraged companions to let up on the Master. "Ma'dori, please tell them to stop for me."

"Stop! The Doctor wants you to stop!" Rose yelled at them.

"Stop! Stop now! The Doctor wants us to stop!" Jack yelled.

Everyone stopped and stepped back. The Master slumped to the floor, gasping. His face was now bruised and bloodied. The Doctor told Rose to pick him up. Rose wrapped his naked body in his shirt and Jack came over to help her when she carried the Doctor towards his friends.

"Oh God, Doctor, what did he do to you?" Sarah Jane said.

"Someone get his screwdriver. That's what made us older and I can show you how to reverse it and make us young again," the Doctor said, pointing to the Master.

The Master tried to lunge at him and Ace grabbed him and raised her fist.

"Don't make me break your fucking nose in twenty places!" she yelled at him.

"Militant woman, I like that," Jack said. "Hold him there, Ace, while I search the pockets."

"Don't think about it," Ace said, shoving him up against the wall while Jack quickly searched his pockets.

While he was doing that, Jo came forward.

"Doctor, oh God, I missed you but I wish seeing you again would be a happier occasion."

"I missed you too, Jo. And yes, I'm sorry I'm in this condition. But hopefully Rose and I won't be this way for long."

"Found it!" Jack said, pulling out the screwdriver. "Oh and by the way…"

Jack took off his perception filter and draped it around the Master's neck.

"Consider your hold over these guards broken," Jack said to the Master.

"I still have my Toclafane though," the Master sneered. "Tocla…"

He grunted when Jack's fist landed in his face and he slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Sorry about that but you were about to cause more trouble," Jack said. "So…Doctor, how do we reverse what he did?"

The Doctor instructed him on how to adjust the settings. He then asked Rose to set him down.

"I'll go first, just in case," he said as she sat him down.

He gave the mind scrambler to Rose, told her to back up and asked Jack to aim the screwdriver at him. Once Rose was clear, Jack aimed the screwdriver and turned it on. Everyone winced at the scream of pain but they could tell he was growing larger and that brought them joy that what the Master did was being reversed. Ten minutes later, Jack stopped to check if he was done yet and the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief as the pain subsided and he was back to his old self again. Except…he was naked.

"Not a word, Harkness!" the Doctor said when he saw the lustful look in his eyes.

Everyone else laughed as he hurriedly grabbed his clothes and rushed to put them on.

"Doctor, same setting for Rose?" Jack said as the Doctor fished his underwear out of his trousers.

"Yes, but not as long, obviously. Do it for about a minute."

"Got it. Rose?"

Rose stepped out and Jack aimed the screwdriver at her and turned it on. He winced at her scream but they could see she was getting younger. He let up after a minute and Rose gasped when he stopped. By then the Doctor had put his clothes on and was fixing his tie.

"Much better," the Doctor said when she was back to her normal age. "And now, my friends, what do we do with him?" he said, pointing to the Master.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty Two

"I say we kill em," Clive growled.

The Doctor held up his hands when most of his companions echoed that sentiment.

"No, no killing. There's been enough killing to last a lifetime. Killing him won't solve anything," he said to them.

"We can't let him go, Professor," Ace protested.

"I didn't say we would, Ace. But there are other solutions besides killing him."

"I have a thought," Jack said.

"And that thought would be?" the Doctor said.

"We can put him in a deep coma and freeze him until you can help him. You said he was insane, perhaps we could find a cure for his insanity."

The Doctor thought that over.

"And where would we store him?" he asked Jack.

"Torchwood. We have freezers. I'll take full responsibility for him," Jack said.

"You sure you want the responsibility? He's a handful."

"I can handle him. If you ever find a cure for his insanity then we can wake him up."

"Yes, I like that idea. Do it," the Doctor said. "Now. We need to go down and get my TARDIS."

"There are Toclafane guarding it," Tish said. "We have to get past them."

"And if we open the door, we'll attract their attention, even with the filters on. Hmmm…"

He scratched his chin thoughtful while he considered options. Then a grin crept over his face and he snapped his fingers. Everyone watched while he ran over to the Master's desk and moved papers and folders aside until he found the intercom.

"Time Lords are great mimics. Watch this!" he said.

He pushed the talk button and leaned over to the speaker.

"Attention all Toclafane," he said, using the Master's voice. "Emergency. There is a space fleet massing in the Medusa Cascade, go and attack them! I order you!"

He took his finger off the talk button and grinned.

"There. Hopefully, that worked. I hope no one is visiting the Medusa Cascade at the moment. Otherwise, they're gonna get a big surprise. So…first things first before we go and see if the plan worked. Step aside everyone and let me through to the Master."

Everyone made room for him and he knelt down beside his foe. He put his fingers against his temples and sent him into a deep coma so he wouldn't suddenly wake up and attack them.

_Sleep well, old friend,_ he thought as he sent the Master into the coma, _be at peace until I can find a way to restore you to sanity._

He finished and stood up.

"There. He won't wake up now. We're safe to go and get the TARDIS."

"Follow me then, I'll take you to it," Tish said.

They followed her out the door and back towards the conference room. On the way, they saw a couple of guards. The guards took no notice of them because of the filters but they seemed confused, looking around the Valiant as if seeing it for the first time.

"The Master's mental hold on them broke once I put him in the coma," the Doctor said when they were out of earshot. "Even so, with the filter around his neck, they would have seen through his deception. The guards shouldn't be any trouble now."

They got into the lift, went down to the lower level and walked towards the storage cupboard. On the way, they saw more confused guards and even more promising, no Toclafane.

"Here it is," Tish said when they reached the door.

The Doctor tried the door and was relieved when he heard the lock click. Jack offered to go first and everyone stepped back while he put his hand on the door handle. He steeled himself for any attack before he opened the door. Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he saw nothing in the room except the TARDIS.

"It worked," Jack said.

"Thought it might. I'm glad I can mimic voices," the Doctor said as they walked inside.

"Oh, I thought I'd never see it again," Jo said as she walked up to the TARDIS and put her hand on the side of it.

"Me too. I miss the old ship," Ace said, putting her hand on the door.

The Doctor smiled at that while he unlocked the door. He pushed open the doors and sighed when he heard the cloister bell dinging overhead. He walked over to the console and walked around the steel cage encircling it.

"Can it be fixed?" Grace said as everyone gathered around it.

"Well…"

The Doctor trailed off while he used the screwdriver to unlock a door in the cage. He opened it and put his hands on the rim, looking everything over.

"I'm here, girl," the Doctor said, stroking the rim, trying to soothe his anguished ship.

He closed his eyes for a moment communicating with her, asking what the best solution was. Everyone waited patiently until he was finished.

"The TARDIS wants us to take out the console," the Doctor said.

"But won't that wreck the TARDIS?" Martha said.

"She can repair herself. This console is the main component of the machine. The quickest way to disable it is to take it out. Anyone have any ideas how to do that?"

"I do. Wait a moment, I'll be right back," Tish said before she ran out the door.

She came back ten minutes later carrying a large sledgehammer.

"I found this in the supply cupboard one day and nicked it. I was hoping to use it but I never got the chance. Think it'll do the job?"

"I think it'll do just fine," the Doctor said.

"Here, allow me," Jack said. "Everyone, get back!"

The Doctor and the companions walked out of the ship and stood just outside the door. Jack took a deep breath, got a good grip on the handle and swung it as hard as he could at the central column. The column cracked but held. Jack took another swing and the crack lengthened. On the third swing though, the glass cracked and Jack grinned as he destroyed the central column and some of the console.

Then he heard the Doctor ordering everyone to get down and he turned and looked out the door as the room began to shake. The TARDIS began to shake a second later and Jack dropped the sledgehammer and dropped to the grate. The TARDIS vibrated and shook and he gnashed his teeth to keep them from chattering. He looked out the door and noticed the others were hanging on to each other as the room shook.

"What's going on, Doctor?" Jack yelled.

"Time is reversing!" the Doctor yelled back. "Just hold on, it'll be done soon!"

"I hope so, my teeth are about to be rattled out of my skull," Jack muttered to himself as he gripped the grating.

Two minutes later the TARDIS finally stopped shaking and calm fell over the console room. Jack raised his eyebrow and looked out the door at the Doctor and his friends. They were raising their heads and looking around before they slowly got up from the floor.

"Did it work?" Donna said as Jack got up and walked out of the TARDIS.

The Doctor beckoned to them and they followed him out of the room. They saw a few of the guards struggling to get to their feet in the corridors. They went past them and headed towards the lift. They got inside and when the lift doors opened on the upper level, they saw all the delegates who had been killed were back now. They stood around, talking amongst themselves in panicked voices and pointing to the spot where Winters had stood. The Doctor ignored them and ran over to the flight deck. He climbed the stairs. He turned on the TV and grinned when he saw BBC News was back on the air.

"There has been a grave turn of events," the newscaster was saying, "We are getting reports that President Winters has just been assassinated on board the Valiant. The reports haven't been confirmed as of yet…"

"We've gone back to the day all Hell broke loose," the Doctor said to his companions as they climbed up. "We've gone back to the point just after the president was assassinated but just before the Toclafane arrived. Everything is back to normal. Everyone that was killed is back with no memory of what happened."

"What'd ya mean? I remember what happened," Donna said.

"We were at the epicenter, the eye of the storm, everyone on the Valiant will remember what happened but no one else will. Hello, everyone!" he said cheerfully when the delegates finally noticed him. "I'm afraid the conference room is off limits at the moment. Could you please exit the room while we investigate what happened?"

The delegates slowly filed out of the room while they watched.

"Will they remember what happened then?" Mickey said.

"No, they weren't here when it happened. They've been resurrected from the dead. As far as they're concerned, nothing happened."

"But…I'm still here."

Everyone turned and looked at Rose as she came towards the Doctor.

"I didn't go back to where I was," Rose said. "Is it because I was at the epicenter as well?"

"I think so," the Doctor said. "Everyone on the ship was unaffected by the events outside. If you'd been outside the ship, you would have disappeared and gone back to the past. But because you were here, you remained."

"So is that going to screw up her timeline then?" Jack said. "Doctor?" he said when the Doctor didn't answer.

The Doctor remained silent for a moment before looking around. He then walked over to the plate glass window and looked out. Rose frowned when he walked over to her and lightly slapped the top of her head.

"Seems solid enough," the Doctor said. "There's no reapers flying around the Valiant and the world doesn't seem to be imploding. Apparently, Rose being here is not causing a paradox. Then again, we could step outside and the Earth could go ka-boom but for the moment, everything seems hunky dory."

"So she stays?" Jack said.

"Seems so," the Doctor said as a smile spread over Rose's face.

"What about me?" Mickey said.

"What about you?" the Doctor said to him.

"How do I get back?"

"Um…back where?"

"The other universe."

"Um…you didn't come here with that disc thing?" the Doctor said. "I mean, I did wonder why you were back but then I realized you came back before so I figured you used the disc thing."

"We were testing a dimension cannon, Rose and me, and I landed up here," Mickey said. "I was doing reconnaissance since Rose and me have been to a lot of different universes and these ball things came down and surrounded me. Is this my original universe though? When I got here, London was in ruins and I thought it was an alternate universe."

"Uh, no, you're back in your original universe. It just got hijacked by the Master. And what dimension cannon? What are you and Rose doing now?" the Doctor said.

"Whatever I…she…the other me is doing, I'm not responsible for it," Rose said. "I have no idea what Mickey's talking about so don't blame me."

"Hold that thought, Smith. I want some information from you if you and Rose are void jumping now," the Doctor said. "As for us, we need to get the Master back in the TARDIS before someone finds him and decides to strangle him."

They left the conference room and headed back to the Master's office.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The Doctor and his companions hid in the TARDIS while she repaired her console room. The Doctor led everyone back to the secondary console room and used that to pilot the TARDIS back down to London. The companions stayed inside the TARDIS for awhile, enjoying the Doctor's company while he had a proper reunion with his friends. Francine was moved to the med bay and the TARDIS helped cure her while Martha and Grace helped. Sarah Jane was the first to leave the TARDIS since Luke had to go back to school. She and Luke stood in the console room with the Doctor while he piloted the TARDIS and took her to her house on Bannerman Road.

"Luke rang his friends, Clyde and Maria and Rani. All of them died during the Toclafane attack but they're back now and Luke is happy," Sarah Jane said to the Doctor while she leaned against the rim of the console. "K9 is fine as well. Everything seems to be back to normal."

"Good, I'm glad," the Doctor said.

"Is Rose staying with you?" Sarah Jane said.

"Yes. She is. She really has nowhere to go right now. Jackie's in the other universe with Pete now so she has no ties here. I still have to talk to Mickey about this dimension cannon. If he and his Rose are using it to get back here, they might be putting the universes in danger. The last thing I need is Mickey Smith destroying all of reality."

Sarah Jane smiled and embraced him. The Doctor beamed and hugged her back tightly.

"I'm glad I saw you and Rose again," she said. "I missed you. I know I left voluntarily but still…you lot need to visit every once in awhile."

The Doctor nodded as she finished the hug and stepped back.

"I know. I mean to but sometimes…"

"You forget when you travel around saving the universe. I understand. If you can manage it sometime though…"

"I will. And congrats on finding a son. I'm glad you did."

"Luke is wonderful. That's another reason why I want you to visit. I'd love to have you in his life, you'd be a great role model for him."

"I don't know about that," the Doctor teased.

He looked around when the TARDIS landed and powered down. Sarah Jane told him to wait a moment while she found Luke. The Doctor nodded and rested against the console while she ran out of the room. While he did that, Jo came into the room. The Doctor smiled tenderly when she came over and hugged him.

"I'm going to go ahead and leave," Jo said to him. "Sarah Jane said she's leaving the TARDIS and she invited me to come to her house for a few days before I go back to Beijing. Santiago was there with me when the Toclafane attacked and he was killed but I just spoke to him on the phone and he's alive again, thanks to you. He was confused about why I was in England but I told him you needed me for an emergency. I've talked about you enough times that he knows who you are. Ooooh," she said, hugging him. "I'm so glad I saw you again."

"Same here," the Doctor said, hugging her tightly.

Sarah Jane came back into the room with Luke and the Doctor said goodbye to Luke and goodbye to Sarah Jane and Jo before they walked to the front door and opened it. The Doctor walked down the ramp and waved goodbye to them while they walked across the road to Sarah Jane's house. Once they were inside the house, the Doctor went back inside and shut the door behind him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Thanks, Professor," Ace said when the Doctor landed beside her house in London.

"Thank you…and please quit calling me Professor," he said good naturedly.

"Good to see ya again," Ace said.

"And you. Although….have you been blowing things up in my absence?"

"Me? Never."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow at that and grinned when Ace chuckled. She gave him a hug and the Doctor watched fondly while she opened the door.

"Till we meet again, Professor," she said.

"I hope so," the Doctor said.

He stood at the door and watched while Ace ran to her house. Then he closed the door and took the TARDIS back into the vortex.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Wow, it's as good as new," Grace said when she opened the door and looked at her ranch style home in Brentwood.

"Nice, very nice. Being a surgeon pays well, that's for sure," the Doctor said, admiring the home.

"Yes, it does. But…you lied to me."

"In what way?"

"You said I'd do great things. I haven't done anything I'd consider monumental."

"You haven't died yet," the Doctor said. "I didn't say when you'd do it. Besides, you save lives day in and day out, isn't that a great thing?"

Grace nodded and hugged him tightly.

"Don't be a stranger. Please come and visit now that you know where I'm at," Grace said as she hugged him.

"I will. Might not be tomorrow though," he said.

"Well, don't make it seventeen years alright?" Grace said as she pulled apart from him. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

"That makes two of us."

Grace hesitated a moment before leaning in and kissing him on the lips. The Doctor returned it and they kissed for thirty seconds before Grace stepped back.

"Not bad, you're still a great kisser," Grace said.

"So I've been told," the Doctor said. "Do you have any shoes for me, by the way?"

"Not this time. No ex-boyfriends stole my furniture lately, sorry. You'll just have to make do with your Converses."

The Doctor chuckled. He kissed Grace's forehead and Grace nuzzled his nose before she bid him goodbye. The Doctor watched while she ran up the steps to her front door. Once she was inside the house, he went back inside and closed the door.

XOXOXOXOXO

Clarice squinted when she stepped out into the bright sunshine. The Doctor had parked in front of her house. She took a look around and brightened when she saw the cows were alive and back inside the fence, lowing while they walked around eating the grass.

"Everything's back to normal," the Doctor said as he stepped out behind her.

"All the people I gave over to the Master?" Clarice said, turning to him.

"It never happened. They're all leading the lives they should have led before the Master interfered. All that blood has been wiped from your hands."

"But I'll never see you again," Clarice said sadly.

"Um…you never know. I met Donna again. Anything's possible, Clarice, but I hope you make your life into something special."

Clarice nodded and smiled. She took hold of the Doctor's hand and he squeezed it, thanking her for helping them. He let go and watched while Clarice walked up to her front door.

"Goodbye, my friend," he said softly while Clarice opened her door and went inside her house.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Damn, this is goodbye," Jack said when the Doctor opened the door in Cardiff.

Jack was holding the Master in his arms and Mickey was at his side. After finding out what Mickey had done, the Doctor refused to risk the universes to take him back. Jack stepped in and offered to find a safe way using the rift.

"If I can't though, come and work for us," Jack offered.

Mickey accepted the offer and the Doctor stood at the door while Jack and Mickey stepped outside.

"Jack, take good care of him," the Doctor said, pointing to the Master. "I know you don't care about him. But he used to be my best mate and I want him restored to sanity if there is a way."

"I understand. He'll be in good hands, I promise," Jack said.

"And Smith, don't go back unless there is a safe way to get there. Don't risk imploding the universes or I'll be planting my foot in your bum, got it?"

"Got it, Boss."

The Doctor bid them goodbye and watched while they walked off. When they were on the sidewalk lift going back down into the Hub, the Doctor closed the door and walked over to the console.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Doctor, you will keep your promise. You won't leave? Because I wanna go with you," Donna said as she stepped outside the TARDIS.

"I told you before you could travel with me. I'll stay here while you check on your family and let them know you're coming with me. Just go and see them. I'l be right here."

"Okay, I won't be long, I promise."

The Doctor watched her run across the road to her house before he stepped back inside.

He walked over to his jump seat and sat down on it. He kicked up his feet and rested them on the rim of the console.

"Doctor?"

He looked over as Martha entered the room.

"Martha, how's your mum?"

"She's fine. Doing better. But I wanted to talk to you for a moment."

"Yes?" he said while Martha walked over to him.

"When you drop off mum and dad and Tish, I want to go with them."

"That's fine. I can wait."

"No, I want to leave."

The Doctor lowered his feet down to the grate and sat up.

"Are you sure?" he said.

"I have to stay. My family was tortured and Mum nearly died. She's recovering but she's still weak, I want to stay and look after her. I need to do this."

The Doctor nodded sadly.

"You're welcome here at any time," he said.

"I know and I love travelin' with ya. But I have medical training and I need to use it to take care of mum now. She went through a lot and she's the one that needs the most attention. I don't want to trust anyone else to take care of her. I love being here but she comes first."

"As it should be," the Doctor said. "So once Donna is finished, you want to go home?"

"Yeah," Martha said.

The Doctor nodded. Martha reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile.

"Take this so we can keep in touch," she said, giving it to him. "If I ever want to come back, I'll ring ya."

"Got it," the Doctor said, putting the mobile in his trouser pocket.

Martha kissed his cheek and the Doctor watched while she left the room and headed back to the med bay.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

After dropping Martha and her family back at her house, the Doctor took the TARDIS into the vortex while Rose and Donna leaned on the console and watched him.

"So…where do you want to go?" he asked them.

"To Hell and back," Rose teased.

She and Donna snickered when the Doctor gave her a withering look.

"I think we just did that," he said dryly while they giggled harder. "Seriously though, give me some ideas."

"Kilimanjaro," Rose said.

"For what reason?" the Doctor said.

"Um…I wanna throw a rock off it?" Rose said while Donna sniggered.

"How about Krakatoa then?" the Doctor said. "You can throw a rock off it while it blows its top."

"You ever heard of the Chippendales?" Donna said to Rose.

"The furniture?" the Doctor said.

"No, Dumbo, the strippers," Donna said. "We could go see a Chippendales show, Rose."

"Ooo, that's it! Take us to the Chippendales!" Rose said.

They laughed when the Doctor eyed them.

"You said you wanted ideas, yeah?" Rose said innocently.

"I meant actual ideas, not fantasies you and Donna have in your sordid little minds."

"Well, just pick something then. I'm still a novice at this, ya know. Didn't travel with ya the first time around."

"I didn't either. That's something else we have in common!" Donna said.

"That's right! We have so much in common!" Rose teased while the Doctor cocked his eyebrow.

"Best friends forever!" Donna said.

"Best friends forever!" Rose said.

The Doctor watched while they linked little fingers and spun around in a circle before bursting into a new fit of giggles.

"Right, I have a feeling I'm going to have my hands full with you two," he said while Rose and Donna bent over laughing.

THE END.


End file.
